Transportation, Health, & Climate Change

What it is:

Introducing health as an important factor in climate change and transportation planning and legislation. Climate change is a global and long-term threat to the public's health.  We need effective policies to address climate change, but in our approach to reduce climate change, we also need to consider health.  

We can design policies that promote more physical activity, help us breathe cleaner air, and reduce car collisions while we fight global warming. Upstream is working to fight climate change through promoting alternatives to driving, integrating health into transportation and land use planning processes in Oregon, and promoting the use of Health Impact Assessments to examine how policies improve or harm our health.

Why it’s Upstream:

The ways our transportation system and communities are designed don’t just affect the environment – they also directly impact our health.  An auto-dependent transportation system decreases opportunities for physical activity and increases air pollution, leading to many poor health outcomes.  Upstream's working for transportation systems promote health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by supporting transportation choices such as walking, biking, and public transit.

What we’re doing:

Upstream is working with the cities of Gresham and Portland to identify opportunities to address health equity during the Transportation System Plan updates.  Through the Transportation Health Equity Network, Upstream is also engaged in the update of the Portland Plan – raising awareness about the impacts of transportation on health equity.

Upstream is partnering with OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon to build community capacity to advocate for healthy, equitable public transportation decision-making in the Portland metro region.

See our past successes for more information.