The Health Impacts of Zoning Designations In Chicago

Abstract

This research inquires about the extent of the impact of zoning on the health of neighborhood residents, utilizing Chicago as a focus. More specifically it seeks to answer to what extent and through what mechanisms do zoning designations influence health within neighborhoods in Chicago. Using data from the Chicago Department of Health, the research focuses on non-industrial zoning and utilizes spatial and statistical analysis tools in combination with a literature review to determine the most influential aspects of zoning on health. For this, low food access, overall health status, adult physical inactivity, poverty and psychological distress data were utilized as a stand-in for measures of health. The research also utilized Business, Commercial, Residential and Park and Open space zoning classifications as the focus of the zoning analysis. This paper explores the idea that because zoning shapes the built environment and that the built environment has an influence on health, zoning will have an impact on health and also addresses the influence that government decisions and politicization have on the built environment through zoning. Throughout this paper, it becomes clear that the total area occupied by residential zoning in a neighborhood impacts the level of physical activity. This relationship indicated that planning neighborhoods with a diversity of zoning that promote enough amenities within walking distance is essential to plan for healthier neighborhoods similar to the concept of 15-minute cities.