SUPER GREEN - the International Academy of Design and Health

Design & Health Scientific ReviewUrban DesignDesigning Healthy Communities:The health impact of streetvendor environmentsThis study, spanning seven years, reveals how the informal architecture of the environments, in whichstreet vendors ply their wares in countries like the Philippines, impacts on their healthMary Anne Alabanza Akers, PhD, Timothy AAkers, PhDThe built environment plays a powerfulrole in the health of a population.Its infl uence has been documentedin numerous studies, ranging from urbansprawl and its impact on obesity, diabetesand poor nutrition to highway developmentand the increase in pedestrian injury, and theimpact of nature deprivation on low mentalhealth and well-being. However, many of theexisting studies have not used comprehensiveresearch designs and methods; they lackmultiple study points in time; and they havenot interviewed respondents in situ.This study contributes a perspective ofdesign and health that goes beyond designinghealthcare facilities for patients who arealready diagnosed with health problems.It unveils a different world of people whowork in busy, often chaotic, and noisy urbanstreets. Their environments are temporary,marginal, uncertain and fl uid.Such informal architecture is found in urbanplaces all over the world 1 . In this context, itinvolves viewing the built environment withina framework that includes street people’scultural lifestyles, socio-economic values andspatial behaviour.Baguio City street vendorsThis study comprises a longitudinal andtransdisciplinary study of street vendors inBaguio City in the Philippines. It is a fastgrowingregional centre for higher education,medical services, business opportunities andtourism. Situated in the rugged upland regionof the Cordillera Mountains, the city wasplanned for 50,000 people but now holdsabout 250,000 residents. Lack of offi cial jobsand the economic downturn of many globalcities have driven residents to legitimatelyearn a living on urban streets.Typical female street vendors in Baguio City, out in the open, exposed to traffi c pollution, weather and diseaseStreet vendors create spaces withinexisting buildings, sidewalks and streetsto establish their ‘territories’ and sell theirproducts. The result is a tapestry of informalarchitecture set on the existing builtenvironmentinfrastructure. The questionis: “How does the architecture impact onstreet vendors’ health?”Literature on the health of street vendorshas focused largely on studies related topublic safety and food-borne diseases. Otherresearch projects have examined vendorhealth in terms of pollutant contamination intheir bodies and reproductive conditions 2,3,4 .These studies generally imply that vendors’presence in the streets for long periods oftime poses an occupational health hazard.However, to date, no study has delvedinto the physical environment – thearchitecture and land-form features – andits contribution to the health conditions ofvendors. Furthermore, design guidelines tomitigate their health circumstances have notbeen addressed. This paper hopes to lessenthis gap in the literature.The study involved multiple researchmethods from 1999 to 2006. Table 1(see p59) describes the various researchphases of the project. The methods rangedfrom personal surveys and physical placeassessments to health screening procedures.This eclectic use of research techniqueshas contributed to a comprehensiveunderstanding of vendors and the impact ofthe street environments on their health.Throughout the seven-year durationof the research project, two surveys wereconducted – one in 1999 and the otherin 2003 – with samples of 219 and 187respondents, respectively. Many of theseindividuals were repeat respondents.Generally, the characteristics of the vendorsare the following:• At least 80% are women in theirearly 40s• They have an average of four children.• At least 50% have a high schooleducation• The majority of respondents have stayedin the same vending locations between sevenWORLD HEALTH DESIGN | October Summer 2008 00 55