The ingredients of healthy city policy: drawing the lessons of good planning practice from around the world

The importance of built environment as a determinant of health is both accepted in the literature and reflected in a myriad of aspects including design of towns, travelling patterns, quality of housing, of urban greenspace, water supply, air quality. Evidence is increasing to prove the relationship between healthy behaviour and quality environment, a range of health outcomes (physical, mental, equality, safety…) can be gained from quality environments. Planning as a determinant of the built environment can be potentially a key driver of change: Processes and approaches linked to planning and the ability to shape the built environment so it delivers healthy outcomes are manifold including the stages of planning processes and related processes. The way health issues and well-being strategies are being pursued through spatial planning are different in a wide variety of countries and settings. The paper will analyse and reflect on good practice of uniting health and planning, drawing examples from Europe, India, Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada. The focus can be on spatial solutions and/or effective processes. We will reflect on the way obstacles have been negotiated and healthy urban environments achieved drawing out general principles and potentially transferable policy approaches.Eje 4: Construir las nuevas agendas socio-ambientales. Orientar y gestionar las transiciones y transformaciones urbanas.Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanism

The ingredients of healthy city policy: drawing the lessons of good planning practice from around the world

The importance of built environment as a determinant of health is both accepted in the literature and reflected in a myriad of aspects including design of towns, travelling patterns, quality of housing, of urban greenspace, water supply, air quality. Evidence is increasing to prove the relationship between healthy behaviour and quality environment, a range of health outcomes (physical, mental, equality, safety…) can be gained from quality environments. Planning as a determinant of the built environment can be potentially a key driver of change: Processes and approaches linked to planning and the ability to shape the built environment so it delivers healthy outcomes are manifold including the stages of planning processes and related processes. The way health issues and well-being strategies are being pursued through spatial planning are different in a wide variety of countries and settings. The paper will analyse and reflect on good practice of uniting health and planning, drawing examples from Europe, India, Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada. The focus can be on spatial solutions and/or effective processes. We will reflect on the way obstacles have been negotiated and healthy urban environments achieved drawing out general principles and potentially transferable policy approaches.Eje 4: Construir las nuevas agendas socio-ambientales. Orientar y gestionar las transiciones y transformaciones urbanas.Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanism

International perspectives on building capacity for planning and health

This paper looks at the integration of health into planning and planning curricula and what we have learnt from international practice in the context of the PLAN-ED (“Educating Planners for the New Challenges of Sustainability, Knowledge and Governance”) project involving staff from four planning schools in the EU and the USA. In Bristol, the project brought together researchers, stakeholders and practitioners from both health and planning, including from local authorities, NGOs and health services to consider how best to progress the capacity building agenda

The ingredients of healthy city policy: drawing the lessons of good planning practice from around the world

The importance of built environment as a determinant of health is both accepted in the literature and reflected in a myriad of aspects including design of towns, travelling patterns, quality of housing, of urban greenspace, water supply, air quality. Evidence is increasing to prove the relationship between healthy behaviour and quality environment, a range of health outcomes (physical, mental, equality, safety…) can be gained from quality environments. Planning as a determinant of the built environment can be potentially a key driver of change: Processes and approaches linked to planning and the ability to shape the built environment so it delivers healthy outcomes are manifold including the stages of planning processes and related processes. The way health issues and well-being strategies are being pursued through spatial planning are different in a wide variety of countries and settings. The paper will analyse and reflect on good practice of uniting health and planning, drawing examples from Europe, India, Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada. The focus can be on spatial solutions and/or effective processes. We will reflect on the way obstacles have been negotiated and healthy urban environments achieved drawing out general principles and potentially transferable policy approaches.Eje 4: Construir las nuevas agendas socio-ambientales. Orientar y gestionar las transiciones y transformaciones urbanas.Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanism

House of Lords: Revised transcript of evidence taken beforeThe Select Committee on National Policy for the Built Environment

The document is a transcript of evidence taken before The Select Committee on National Policy for the Built Environment Inquiry on BUILT ENVIRONMENT. The three Witnesses were: Dr Laurence Carmichael, Co-ordinator, WHO Collaborating Centre for Healthy Urban Environments, Dr Ann Marie Connolly, Director of Health Equity and Impact, Public Health England, and Dr Matt Egan, Senior Lecturer, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

The Bristol Health and Planning Protocol - First year evaluation

The report documents the evaluation of the first year of ‘the Bristol Protocol’. This is an agreement between NHS Bristol and Bristol City Council to receive public health consultations for selected planning applications and preapplication processes. The purpose was to support the consideration of the impact on health outcomes in the assessment and determination of planning applications. Based on audit of planning applications referred to NHS Bristol, surveys of Bristol City Council’s planners, interviews and documentary analysis, this evaluation assesses how and to what extent public health colleagues inBristol have been able to influence decisions on planning applications. The analysis also helps to determine whether there have been changes in knowledge and attitudes of development management planners about the links between health and planning. The research covered the period 17 May 2011 to 31 August 2012

Gauging the brownfield land supply in England

This paper reports on the findings of a study that aimed to help fill the information gap left by the loss of the National Land Use Database – and asked ‘Is there enough brownfield land in England to meet housing needs?

Environment and health for European cities in the 21st century: Making a difference

With more than 80% of the European population expected to live in urban areas by 2030, cities play a pivotal role in steering the transition towards a low-carbon society as well as in promoting and protecting health and wellbeing, and preventing and mitigating socioeconomic inequalities among urban dwellers. This publication reviews the key drivers for change in the European urban environment, highlights the burden of disease in European cities, and discusses opportunities and barriers to action. Taking into account the responsibilities of cities in relation to several policy areas that have a direct impact on health and the environment, it also proposes possible ways forward to strengthen support for cities that are committed to addressing environment and health challenges in their communities. Such support will be channelled through the development of new partnerships, facilitating the dialogue and exchange of knowledge between subnational and local authorities, national governments and international actors, while building on existing strategic partnerships and initiatives at all levels of governanc

Evidence base for health and planning – lessons from an ESRC seminar series

The article looks at the lessons on the health and planning evidence base, evidence-sharing and integration that have been emerging from an ESRC seminar series on reuniting health and planning bringing together academics and planning and public health professionals