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

Thursday’s Headlines

ICE, crosswalks, bus lane enforcement, Sepulveda rail, Torrance rail, Long Beach, MacArthur Park, LADOT, and more

January 22, 2026

Extending the Foothill A Line Hasn’t Been Forgotten

Plans are underway to get the track built to Claremont, and stakeholders remain hopeful that Montclair can make a comeback.

January 21, 2026

Wednesday’s Headlines

ICE, Metro meeting tomorrow, Torrance, transit ambassadors, Santa Monica, Glendale, red light cameras, Koreatown, Long Beach parking, car-nage, and more

January 21, 2026

Uh Oh! Dueling Alignments Could Throw Torrance Metro Rail Extension into Limbo

Metro's plan for a four-mile light rail extension from Redondo Beach to Torrance could get a lot more difficult, and more expensive

January 20, 2026

Tuesday’s Headlines

ICE, DIY crosswalks, Torrance rail, Sepulveda rail, Metro, Pasadena, car-nage, and more

January 20, 2026

Santa Monica Parking Enforcement Vehicles to Use AI Cameras to Ticket Bike Lane Violations

Similar to on-bus AI cameras for bus lanes, but with two new wrinkles: cameras will be on city cars, and will detect bike lane blockers

January 16, 2026
See all posts