In this episode of Crosswalks & Crossroads, Gabriela sits down with Kia to explore the powerful intersection between public health, urban planning, and urban design. Drawing from her work in the public health space, Kia unpacks the many ways our urban environments shape us - physically, psychologically, and socially.

From advertising and signage to building height, street layouts, and transport systems, the conversation examines how cities impact our wellbeing at every scale: from the big-picture urban system right down to the individual street and building level. Kia also discusses the broad range of public health measures used to understand these impacts, including infectious diseases, chronic pain, cardiovascular disease, environmental exposure, and more.

Together, the episode highlights just how interdisciplinary and interconnected urban issues really are. Whether discussing transport poverty, accessibility, or environmental design, the conversation reveals how challenges often viewed through a single lens can have deep and lasting public health consequences. It’s a thoughtful exploration of why healthier cities require collaboration across planning, transport, health, design, and policy - and what could be possible when we start seeing those connections more clearly.

Show Notes

• Stephan Heblich & Alex Trew & Yanos Zylberberg, 2021. "East-Side Story: Historical Pollution and Persistent Neighborhood Sorting," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 129(5), pages 1508-1552. https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/275585078/713101.pdf
• https://www.motu.nz/about-us/public-policy-seminars/events/three-urban-economic-short-courses
• Health and air pollution in New Zealand study. https://environment.govt.nz/publications/health-and-air-pollution-in-new-zealand-2016-findings-and-implications/
• Garden Cities of Tomorrow ttps://www.gutenberg.org/files/46134/46134-h/46134-h.htm
• The relationship between greenspace exposure and telomere length https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969723060795?via%3Dihub

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Contact us: crosswalksxcrosstalks@gmail.com

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In the second episode of Crosswalks and Crosstalk's Host Gabi talks through adventurous play, the impact of risk taking on our development and the barriers to making play accessible for girls with special guest Jacquelyn Collins.

Get ready for a conversation that brings fun, passion and even more whimsy to urbanism.

Show notes

Tim Gill - No fear: Growing up in a risk averse society. - https://rethinkingchildhood.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/no-fear-19-12-07.pdf

Jacquelyn’s Masters dissertation - Barriers and enablers for girls being active (2021)

Make Space for Girls: https://www.makespaceforgirls.co.uk/

Girls Skate New Zealand: https://www.girlsskatenz.com/

Pump Tracks are for Girls too! Event by WIUA write up by Bike Auckland - https://www.bikeauckland.org.nz/news/pump-tracks-girls/

United States National Institute for Play: https://nifplay.org/play-science/summary-of-key-findings/#play-deprivation

Another study about the impact of play on mental health: https://www.healwithcfte.org/blog/play-mental-health

Dr Damien Puddle - Play opportunities through environmental design: a strategy for well-being: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42322-023-00138-0

The Playful City podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/3YTTSQ7BLXbMWMg3DVqdpJ?si=125ba29cf426451f

In the first episode of Crosswalks & Crosswalks, host Gabriela sits down with urban designer, illustrator, communicator, mother, and local board member Emma McInnes.

Emma grew up on a rural farm milking cows, endlessly jealous of her city cousins who lived next to a shared playground. That early contrast - between isolation and shared space - sparked a lifelong fascination with how the design of our cities shapes our lives.

The conversation explores why Emma co-founded Women in Urbanism Aotearoa, how the organisation has evolved to include diverse voices across gender identities and sectors, and why some of its strongest supporters are men.

Together, Gabriela and Emma unpack questions at the heart of urbanism: How do we design cities where people can live with dignity? Why are women’s experiences of cities so different from men’s? And what would happen if we planned transport systems around the real movement patterns of women?

From climate change to transport funding, they also explore why people often “salivate” over mega-projects like bridges and motorways while dismissing smaller, community-focused interventions - despite the latter often having the biggest impact on everyday life.

It’s a conversation about care, power, gender, and the sometimes quieter design decisions that shape how we move, connect, and belong in our cities.

Show Notes

Women’s safety in urban spaces reading material

• The Impact of Urban Design in minimizing Women’s Fear of Crime
• Making safer places: Gender and the right to the city
• Gender, urban space, and the right to everyday life
• Perceptions of Public Safety in the Auckland CBD
• Taking back planning: Promoting women's safety in public places -- the toronto experience
• Lots more contact us at crosswalksxcrosstalks@gmail.com if you’d like a full list used for my dissertation.

CrosswalksxCrosstalks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crosswalksxcrosstalks/

Emma McInnes Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmamcinnes___/?hl=en

Emma McInnes LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-mcinnes-she-her-919b2553/

Website WiUA: https://www.womeninurbanism.co.nz/\