Bridging Health Gaps With Housing and Transit Planning

Healthcare costs in the New York metropolitan region have tripled in recent years, to more than $250 billion annually, but experts say only a small part of people's actual health is influenced by things like hospitals, clinics and doctors.

Much of the impact comes from their socioeconomic status and environment.

For instance, authors of the State of the Region's Health say more than 30 percent of Latinos in the region live in high-pollution areas, nearly three times the rate of whites. The Regional Plan Association, which conducted the study, is developing a 25-year plan that will urge policy makers to take people's health into account when building new housing developments, transit projects and more.