Neighborhood Conditions

Neighborhood Conditions Icon

Your neighborhood conditions and how it is designed affect your health in a variety of ways. For example, if you live in a neighborhood with heavy traffic, the air you regularly breathe may be more polluted compared to neighborhoods without heavy traffic. 

A neighborhood designed with healthy community planning considers two concepts, completeness and connectivity.

Completeness

Neighborhood completeness considers the following factors:

  • Housing density, the number of households located in the area.
  • Variety of housing types, including housing to rent and to own, as well as single-family or multi-unit options.
  • Housing cost, which significantly influences what is accessible to individuals and families of varying income levels.

Mixed land use, the availability and access to retail, commercial, industrial, and open spaces.

A neighborhood that has mostly single-family owned homes and no non-residential services feels different than a neighborhood with a mix of single-family and multi-unit housing with shops, restaurants, and community services located in between.

Neighborhoods conditions that support health help community members access health care, childcare, nutritious and affordable food, schools, and libraries. When neighborhoods are close to heavy traffic, highways, and industrial areas, community members are exposed to harmful pollution that can worsen health. Similarly, when neighborhoods are far from nutritious food options, it's difficult for community members to maintain a healthy diet. Safe, stable, and affordable housing is fundamental to health.

The Washington Environmental Health Disparities (EHP) Map compares health data so we can better understand differences in health harms across Washington neighborhoods.

Connectivity

Connected neighborhoods help people meet their needs close to home and across town. This makes it easy for people to get to the store, school, work, or a doctor’s appointment. Safe sidewalks, bike paths, reliable transit routes, and affordable transportation options connect community members to the places they need to go.

Connected neighborhoods also have spaces for people to gather and socialize. Public spaces, often called third places, are outside of your home and/or workplace. When a neighborhood, or the surrounding area of a neighborhood, has public spaces and services like libraries, health care facilities, food banks, youth and adult recreation centers, childcare facilities, and more, community members are more likely to feel connected to one another.

Human relationships support health. When people feel isolated, lonely, and lack emotional support, they have a greater risk of developing physical and mental health concerns, like heart disease, dementia, anxiety and depression. Social isolation particularly affects older people, LGBTQIA2S+ people, people with disabilities, and people living alone. 

Neighborhoods also consider other built environments like transportation, food access, and parks and green space. Review funding opportunities.

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