Table of Contents

ABSTRACT

The built environment has a significant impact on a child’s health and future wellbeing. It is a long-held belief that disease prevention rests singularly on the individual and their motivation to adopt lifestyle changes. However, this is not true. Children are a prime example of how zoning contributes to unequal, inequitable, exclusionary neighborhood development and, subsequently, to stark health disparities amongst ethnic and socioeconomic groups. Zoning policies affect the makeup of communities in terms of green space, healthcare clinics and fresh food markets. The purpose of this capstone is to investigate and highlight the zoning policies throughout New York City and how such policies accentuate, or diminish, socioeconomic and healthcare disparities within the pediatric population in the five boroughs. Although zoning was historically created to protect the welfare of citizens, it has slowly evolved as an obstacle against equally distributed goods and services. New York City has thankfully moved towards positive changes in terms of healthy food access near schools and pushes for safer neighborhoods, however there is still a tremendous amount of progress to be made in terms of food availability and safe, recreational spaces in low-income neighborhoods. The components addressed in this narrative review focus on these particular changes and how these can positively impact childhood health.

Keywords: Environmental justice, zoning policy, New York City, healthcare disparities, poverty, access to healthcare, access to food, food deserts, pediatric health outcomes, childhood obesity, childhood metabolic syndrome, socio-economic bracket, food swamps, fast food, BMI