Skip to Content
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Log In
Streetsblog USA

Talking Headways: Richard Jackson on City Environments and Public Health

podcast icon logo
Meal delivery is one service of Project Roomkey. Photo: LAHSA

How do the places we inhabit lead to systemic public health problems?

On the podcast this week, I discuss this question with Dr. Richard Jackson of UCLA's Fielding School of Public Health. Jackson is the author of three books on the subject of the built environment and public health, and hosted the PBS series Designing Healthy Communities. He has also served as director of the CDC's National Center on Environmental Health and California’s State Health Officer.

Jackson shares his thoughts about the federal silos of housing, transportation, food policy, and health, as well as the under-appreciated issue of indoor air quality. At the CDC, he says, his message that the built environment is responsible for poor health outcomes was so threatening that some members of Congress wanted him fired.

Join us for a wide-ranging discussion that touches on how the internet is affecting kids, migration in Syria, the future of the LA River, the health benefits of trees, and the frustrations of doctors at the “end of the disease pipeline” treating young kids and adults with type 2 diabetes.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog Los Angeles

SGV Connect 136: Here Comes the Olympics

What to the Olympics hold for the San Gabriel Valley in 2028? Damien talks with Alissa Walker, co-host of the L.A. Podcast and editor of Torched.

May 30, 2025

Streets for All and KidSafe SF Merge

Streets For All is merging with KidSafe SF to expand the reach of both organizations, accelerate progress on reducing traffic deaths, and increase sustainable transportation options for all Californians

May 29, 2025

What’s Really Great About the LAX Metro Station Opening on June 6

Spoiler: it's not all about connecting people to the airport, but building a useful interconnected transit network

May 28, 2025
See all posts