The Impact of Urban Verticality on Gendered Patterns of Melanoma Incidence Across U.S. States

Melanoma is a major public health concern with significant regional variation across the United States. While prior research links urban form to health outcomes, the role of vertical urban development remains underexplored. This study examines whether regional variation in urban verticality, proxied by skyscraper prevalence, is associated with melanoma incidence across U.S. states and whether this relationship differs by gender. We analyze panel data from 48 states over 1999–2022 using regression models that account for temporal and geographic factors. Results indicate a negative association between skyscraper prevalence and melanoma incidence for both genders, with a linear pattern for males and a concave relationship for females. These findings are robust across specifications and within the non-Hispanic White population. Overall, the results suggest that vertical urban development is associated with lower melanoma incidence and highlight the role of built-environment design in shaping environmental exposure. These findings contribute to the literature on sustainable urbanization by documenting an association between vertical urban design and environmental health outcomes.