The Chen Institute’s applied research in urban public health and epidemiology explores how the built environment influences health outcomes in cities around the world. We also examine how cities can build resilience to public health shocks, particularly those arising from novel infectious diseases. Our work investigates the ways in which neighborhood design, building characteristics, and public infrastructure shape exposure to health risks, affect patterns of disease transmission, and contribute to variations in morbidity and mortality. By focusing on the built environment as a determinant of public health, we seek to illuminate how density, land use patterns, housing conditions, and access to essential services intersect with the spatial distribution of health vulnerabilities.

 

Drawing on methods from epidemiology and real estate economics, our research spans both acute public health events and longer-term structural risks. For example, recent studies investigate how building crowding and neighborhood layout—such as the configuration of streets, walkability, proximity to shared amenities, and the ways residents interact in shared spaces—relate to infectious disease spread.

 

A central goal of this work is to inform decision-making by public health officials as well as real estate investors, developers, and operators seeking to strengthen asset resilience in the face of health shocks. Our preliminary risk assessment frameworks integrate spatial health data with property-level characteristics to evaluate vulnerability across a range of scenarios. These frameworks assess exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. By combining epidemiological modeling with real estate analytics, we hope to provide practical tools to help stakeholders anticipate risks, adapt operational strategies, and protect long-term asset value in an increasingly health-sensitive urban environment.