Making Cities Healthier: How Walkable Neighborhoods Can Help Prevent Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases

Have you ever wondered why some neighborhoods feel more inviting for a stroll than others? Walkability—how friendly an area is for walking—has become a hot topic in city planning, public health, and even cancer prevention research.

It was the topic of a recent health perspective essay published in the NIH’s Environmental Health Perspectives journal. Below is a summary of the essay.

What Is Walkability?

Walkability means more than just having sidewalks. It’s a mix of features in the built environment that make it easier and more pleasant to walk around: sidewalks, safe street crossings, lots of destinations close to home, tree-lined streets, transit options, and more. When neighborhoods check these boxes, they can boost our tendencies to walk—not just for fun, but for errands, commuting, or socializing.

City planners like Jeff Speck have defined walkability as a walk that is useful, safe, comfortable, and interesting. Research shows that living in more walkable places is associated with people being more active and having healthier body weights.

Walkability and Health: A Strong Connection

New research is strengthening the link between walkable neighborhoods and better health. A recent study followed thousands of women in New York City for nearly 30 years and tracked changes in their neighborhood walkability. The results? Higher walkability was associated with a lower risk of developing cancers linked to obesity, such as postmenopausal breast cancer, endometrial cancer, and others.

The study found that these benefits remained even after accounting for other factors like income, education, and neighborhood poverty. Walkable areas didn’t just encourage exercise—they seemed to help reduce real health risks over the long term.

In fact, there are multiple cancers linked to obesity, including colorectal, liver, gallbladder, pancreatic, ovarian, and liver cancers, suggesting that walkable communities impacts on weight can reduce risk for a number of cancers.

What Makes a Neighborhood Walkable?

There’s no single recipe for walkability. Researchers use a variety of indicators, from population and business density to how easy it is to reach shops, parks, or public transit. Some broaden this view to include street design, the presence of trees or green spaces ("green walkability"), and people’s perceptions of safety.

Yet, measuring walkability isn’t simple. Different studies use different definitions, and important factors like racial and economic diversity or proximity to hospitals and parks aren’t always captured. The best assessments look at both the physical and social fabric of neighborhoods and take changes over time into account.

Not all walkable neighborhoods are created equal. Social and economic factors, racial and ethnic diversity, and environmental safety all play roles in shaping the health benefits of walkable design. Policies that promote walkability should consider these differences to make sure benefits are shared widely and help address health disparities.

Better Cities—Better Lives

Walkability doesn’t just help prevent disease; it supports more active transportation, reduces car use, and can even help fight climate change through lower vehicle emissions.

As cities continue to grow and change, understanding exactly which features of neighborhoods support health is crucial. New research and technology (like mobile tracking) are helping us measure walkability more accurately than ever before. The takeaway? The places we live shape our habits—and our health. Making cities more walkable isn’t just good for our bodies; it’s an important step in building healthier, more connected, and more sustainable communities. As evidence grows, expect to see walkability move higher on every urban planner’s and policymaker’s list—because healthier neighborhoods mean healthier people.