New England has a housing crisis – and it’s impacting our health. These are the findings of the latest County Health Rankings, a project of the University of Wisconsin and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The study found that housing affordability and quality are major influencers of health here in New England.
Understanding how to build neighborhoods in a way that improves the health of residents is at the heart of the Healthy Neighborhoods Study.
The Healthy Neighborhoods Study examines the relationship between neighborhood change and population health in nine Massachusetts neighborhoods. Baseline data from the survey show that participants believed certain social factors would improve their lives.
New England’s drinking water is under threat.
A lack of resources on community research design is an impediment to more community-engaged research. This article describes how a consortium of community residents, grassroots community organizations, and academic and public institutions implemented collaborative research design and data analysis processes as part of a participatory action research (PAR) study investigating the relationship between neighborhoods and health in the greater Boston area.
Leilani Mroczkowski is a Community Engagement Coordinator for GreenRoots. I’m always struck by how open people are to sharing their stories. Usually, all you have to do is ask. But what’s more important is to listen. On a hot summer evening this past August, I joined five young researchers in the GreenRoots Environmental Chelsea Organizers… Continue reading Building Stronger Communities from The Ground Up
We are where we live. Every day our environments shape our lives and our health. We are all connected by the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, the roads and sidewalks we use, the pipes in our walls, the sewer systems under our feet, the parks where we play, and… Continue reading Using Community-Led Research to Address Environmental Injustice
Janet Daisley is CLF’s Senior Advisor. Janet’s previous roles at CLF include Chief of Staff, Senior Vice President for Special Projects, and Deputy Director for Healthy and Resilient Communities. Before joining in 2018 she served as Vice President for Programs and Strategy for the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts. Janet has considerable experience leading cross-sector… Continue reading Janet Daisley
We’re building healthy communities, one neighborhood at a time.
In this special issue of Conservation Matters, we want to take you behind the scenes of our work, to give you a glimpse into how we break down challenges and take advantage of opportunities to create a healthy, thriving New England – not just for today, but for generations to come.
