Architecture and Health Equity in an Imperiled World

How the thoughtful reimagining of health-centric built environments both locally and globally can better serve vulnerable populations and reduce health disparities in a climate-threatened world.

As climate change accelerates, its impact on public health grows, disproportionately affecting medically underserved populations. In Architecture and Health Equity in an Imperiled World, Stephen Verderber addresses the urgent need for innovative architectural and ecologically responsible strategies to confront health inequities exacerbated by the global climate crisis. This book highlights the critical role of health-centric architecture in mitigating these inequities and creating resilient, therapeutically supportive environments.

Combining insights from public health, architecture, and climate science, this book examines how the built environment can both contribute to and alleviate health disparities. Chapters examine the unique vulnerabilities of health-focused built environments including hospitals, outpatient clinics, and long-term care facilities amid the devastating effects of rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and escalating public health emergencies. Emphasizing the urgent need for innovative, resilient design strategies, Architecture and Health Equity in an Imperiled World illustrates how thoughtful and compassionate design innovations can better serve increasingly vulnerable populations both locally and globally.

An essential resource for health care leaders, architects, and policymakers, Architecture and Health Equity in an Imperiled World challenges traditional, increasingly obsolete policies and protocols, advocating instead for innovative strategies and solutions to improve health and promote sustainability. This book offers a bold new vision for leveraging architectural design and its diverse benefits to society to ensure that communities can thrive sustainably and regeneratively in an uncertain future.

Stephen Verderber is the Director of the Centre for Design and Health Innovation and a professor at both the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. He is the author or coauthor of nine books, including Innovations in Behavioral Health Architecture.