I have attached a photo of my concept map that displays how urban design, transportation, and the natural environment impacts the health and vitality of a city. Regarding transportation, the planning of this aspect is to maintain and improve economic health and quality of life. For these to take place the city should prioritize mass transit and pedestrian trends. Traffic issues and congestion should also be considered when planning for a healthy city. The natural environment includes green spaces, which are a vital for cities. These spaces have a positive impact on our mental and physical health. They increase socialization, exercise, and provide an escape from the fast paced society. Climate change causes migration. When groups of people migrate to a new city it increases congestion causing overpopulation and homelessness. Environmentally conscious practices can help promote a healthier natural environment. Helping to preserve our natural environment promotes sustainability and has economic benefits. As for urban design, it is important that the city is place where citizens have a positive experience with their environment in order for it to thrive. There is limited interaction between social and economic classes due to segregation. This leads to inequities in essential areas including education, transportation, healthcare, food, and more. Urban design also impacts the economy of the city. Income and taxes also impact how well the city is maintained.
Interactions between transportation and urban design are seen through suburbanization. As highways were created, people began to migrate to suburbs which decreased the amount of money in the inner city. The commutes to work were longer and many lost their jobs. Limited mass transit made it impossible to reach some destinations without a car. Highways cut through Black communities, which negatively impacted the community in many ways. Limited walkability of the communities also negatively impacted the city. The interaction between urban design and the natural environment is seen through the integration of the nature and urban design. Green spaces created throughout cities are vital. Deforestation to create new developments have a negative impact, creating a loss of natural resources and which can negatively impact health. The interaction between transportation and the natural environment are very similar to urban design and the natural environment. There is deforestation to create highways, factories, and developments. There are also high levels of pollution as more vehicles travel along the highways contaminating the air and water. Mass transit could help decrease the pollution levels but there are limited routes that travel from the inner city to suburbs.
The Cities: Skylines simulation captures many of these interactions well. When creating the city, you must have clean water and low pollution levels to have a successful city. Near the industrial zone one can see how the pollution impacts nearby citizens. Through the traffic feature one can see how well traffic is flowing and where improvement is needed. The best way to improve traffic is utilizing the mass transit tool. As the city is expanded deforestation takes place but it is also an option to create green spaces for citizens. The simulation does lack the social dynamic of a real city. Aspects such as segregation, social and economic classes, inequities, and more are not apparent in the simulation. This is unfortunate because these aspects play a vital role in reality.