place matters documentary film

Larry Adelman’s documentary Place Matters addresses the social determinants of health, focusing on the intersection between socioeconomic class, race, and geography. Place matters in terms of exposure to environmental toxins and other public health hazards like poor infrastructure. This particular episode focuses on asthma and how it is linked to exposure to environmental toxins. Moreover, place determines the access to health resources and also to the ability to form social support networks in a community. The video shows how individual variables like race or economic class need to be contextualized; that multiple variables intersect to inform health outcomes and epidemiological patterns. A person can be disadvantaged from birth, simply by the circumstances of where one was born. Geography and space are therefore linked to power and privilege in the society, unless there is effective public policy to address disparities.
I appreciated watching Place Matters, because the film carefully elucidates the social determinants of health in America. Although the content is disturbing, viewers will feel inspired to take action and be aware of how public policy related to housing, real estate development, and urban planning all impact health outcomes. I also appreciated how the filmmaker allowed the residents to speak for themselves and share their impressions and attitudes. The connection between urban planning and health is not always immediately apparent, and this video helps to inform the public in the hopes of effecting social and political change. While the video did not necessarily surprise me or change my attitudes, I do now understand more about the urgency of reformed urban planning and social housing policies.
Unfortunately, there are serious obstacles in addressing the social health disparities outlined in Adelman’s film. The first and most important obstacle is public policy related to urban planning and land use. Urban planning is driven by top-down policies that often favor the interests of real estate developers over the general populace. However, the Place Matters segment shows how governments can make a difference. Instead of allowing real estate developers to determine public health outcomes, the residents of a community can promote public policy that enhances quality of life for all residents. The example of the town in West Seattle exemplifies good urban planning and housing policies, contrary to the policies that had been pursued in the town of Richmond, California.
Public policy is shaped by public opinion, which is why raising awareness through documentaries and other educational tools is important. Voters are often uninformed about public policy related to land use, housing, and urban development. The connection between public policy related to housing and development is not made clear in the media. Therefore, the media needs to play a more central role in shaping public opinion by showing documentaries like these that clearly demonstrate the link between urban planning and public health. Too often, public health issues are framed in simplistic terms, such as poor people have poorer health outcomes because they are uninsured. While this may also be true, there really are a lot of extraneous and intervening variables that impact health outcomes.
The video also draws attention to something that is not always apparent: the connection between financial stress and health outcomes. It is not just dilapidated public infrastructure or even exposure to toxins, but also the stress of everyday life that can adversely impact health outcomes for disadvantaged communities. Even in places like the West Seattle community depicted in the film segment, where rates of asthma are certainly lower than they are in Richmond, the residents do not have a sense of personal agency and empowerment that comes from financial security. Labor laws, economic policy, and related legislation also need to change before public health objectives can be reached.





Works Cited

Adelman, Larry. Place Matters. Documentary, 2008.