Helen Pineo

In the context of long-term housing shortages and post-Covid empty offices, many countries have deregulated planning and construction standards to increase residential supply. I am studying the health and wellbeing effects of this deregulation with partners based in London. In 2013, the UK government changed Permitted Development Rights (PDR) so that developers can convert commercial and light industrial buildings into housing without planning permission in England. Most of these conversions have been in offices and many have quality problems.

We started with a pilot study that is now published in Wellbeing, Space and Society, here. Working with housing charity Groundswell, we conducted an online survey and in-home interviews. Our results showed that conversions posed potential health and wellbeing risks in the areas of space, overheating, amenities and perceived safety. Windows were also a problem for residents, with some units or rooms only having skylights (as shown) or windows that did not open.

Our national study of the health and equity impacts of PDR conversions is ongoing.

The actions that we need to take to avoid severe climate change will help us in the short-term to improve health. This 2021 report from the Royal Society and Academy of Medical Sciences covered the latest evidence about health co-benefits from climate change mitigation and adaptation. I contributed to the section on buildings, where we argued that increasing energy efficiency in homes can reduce cold-related deaths. Integrated design is needed to avoid risking overheating and poor ventilation.

The report offers 4 recommendations, including:

1. Incorporating health into the climate narrative
2. Integrating climate adaptation and mitigation policies to benefit health
3. Developing metrics to assess health impacts
4. Promoting transdisciplinary systems approaches to address the complex interaction between climate change mitigation and health

The World Health Organization has long supported research and guidance on healthy housing. On behalf of the WHO, I worked with colleagues at University College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to conduct an international review of policies that would support healthy housing. Alongside a journal article in Cities & Health, the outputs include an interactive pdf and a policy repository. This work supports countries with implementation of the WHO Housing and health guidelines. 

The interactive report covers the following exposures: overcrowding, low and high indoor temperatures, home injuries, accessibility, water quality, air quality, damp and mould, noise, asbestos, lead and radon.

The image from the report shows the range of policy approaches and instruments that were reviewed. Each section contains evidence reviews and global policy examples, alongside links to other WHO resources.