Linking the Urban Environment and Health: An Innovative Methodology for Measuring Individual-Level Environmental Exposures

Environmental exposures (EE) are increasingly recognised as important determinants of health and well-being. This paper outlines theoretical and technical foundations to construct individual-level environmental exposure measurements for the population of Bradford, UK, in support of Connected Bradford, a whole population database linking health, education, social care, environmental and other data over 40 years. The authors argue that understanding environmental effects on health is limited by methodological shortcomings and inconsistent measures of built environment features. To address these, they quantify exposure across domains including air quality, greenspace/greenness, public transport, walkability, traffic, buildings/built form, street centrality, land-use intensity, food environments, and indoor dwelling qualities. Using general practitioner historical patient data, they identify precise geolocations and duration of residence, model local neighbourhoods and probable routes to key urban functions, and detail geospatial procedures for each domain. Using fast-food exposure as an example, they illustrate methodological challenges for city- and nationwide EE databases. The proposed measures enable research into relationships and causal links between the built environment and health to inform planning and policy.