NYU School of Medicine & NYU Marron Institute of Urban Management
Steven Soloway, MD •
NYU School of Law; Institute for Policy Integrity, NYU
This policy brief discusses an on-going inter-disciplinary study to measure whether laws that reshape local electricity demand can achieve significant health benefits in New York City. A collaborative effort of legal, economic, and public health researchers, the study will answer three crucial questions that should inform New York’s energy planning decisions:
The Philadelphia Lead Court (PLC) was created as an innovative law enforcement strategy to compel property owners to comply with city health codes to remediate their properties of lead hazards, which had led to elevated blood lead levels and lead poisoning in resident children. This study presents a detailed account of and analyzes the opinions of fifteen key informants drawn from the Philadelphia health and law departments and judicial system that staff and run the PLC in response to a fifteen-question structured survey.
This article evaluated the effectiveness of a comprehensive rental housing–based lead law adopted in Rochester, New York, in 2005 by integrating analyses of city inspections data, a survey of landlords, landlord focus groups, and health department data on children’s blood lead levels from the first 4 years of implementation of the 2005 law. Although many uncertainties remain, this study's analysis suggests that the lead law has had a positive impact on children’s health.
Although lead paint was banned by federal law in 1978, it continues to poison children living in homes built before that time. Federal and state laws have reduced rates of lead poisoning significantly in the past three decades. However, pockets of high rates of lead poisoning remain, primarily in low-income urban neighborhoods with older housing stock. Recently, several municipalities have passed local lead laws to reduce lead hazards in high-risk areas. This analysis suggests that local laws hold great promise for reducing lead hazards in children's homes.
This study determined whether Philadelphia Lead Court is effective in enforcing lead hazard remediation in the homes of children with elevated blood lead levels.
In this Critical Opportunities presentation, Adam Finkel, ScD, from the University of Pennsylvania, suggests laws that require all sellers in high-level counties to test for and disclose radon levels as a condition of sale.
The Problem: In 2018, obesity affected 1 in 5 children and adolescents and 39.9% of adults in the U.S.. Each condition increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and some cancers. CDC: Obesity Statistics Regular physical activity reduces the risk of obesity and has many other health benefits. Yet, only half ofof adults in the United States get the recommended amount of physical activity.
The Problem: The shortage of adequate, affordable housing can create pockets of concentrated poverty, exposing children and others to lead and other pathogens, which affects the health of children and families. The Urban Institute. Research on Record: Housing. Also, housing expenses draw resources away from health expenditures (e.g., nutritious food and healthcare). CDC and U.S.
In this Critical Opportunities presentation, James Anderson, JD, from RAND Corporation, explains how city blocks that have some land parcels zoned for residential use experience substantially less crime than blocks that are zoned only for commercial or industrial uses. He suggests encouraging residential zoning in commercial areas as a way to reduce crime.
This set of six LawAtlas maps outline the current state of statutes and regulations governing oil and gas drilling and development activities as they relate to water quality and water quantity. The maps cover the use of water and five stages of development: permitting, design & construction; well drilling; well completion; production and operation; and reclamation.
