Healthy urban planning
Our healthy urban planning programme aims to integrate
health considerations into planning processes, programmes
and projects and to gain the necessary capacity and
political and institutional commitment to achieve this
goal.
The three objectives as defined by WHO are to:
- raise awareness and create a common understanding
of the concept of healthy urban planning and all
that it implies as key to changing practice within
the city
- gain local practical experience from the application
of healthy urban planning principles and approaches
- work towards mainstreaming healthy urban planning
in the city and to propose institutional solutions
for making healthy urban practices mainstreamed in
the city.
Within the area of healthy urban planning, WHO have
prioritised four areas: Transport; Ageing; Obesity
and Physical Activity and Neighbourhoods.
What is Healthy Urban Planning?
Healthy urban planning involves planning that promotes
health and well being and has much in common with the
principles of sustainable development. It means
putting people back ‘at the heart’ of planning. The
idea that planning and health are linked is not new. In
many cities town planning originated early in the twentieth
century as a result of concerns about the health and
housing of citizens.
The physical environment, which is shaped by planning
decisions, can facilitate or deter a healthy lifestyle – people’s
ability to walk; cycle or play in the open air is affected
by the emphasis on quality and safety of the environment
for pedestrians. Planning can act to enhance
or destroy social networks and urban regeneration can
cultivate opportunities for a rich community life. The
sustaining of local facilitates and networks depends
in part on the long term strategies for transport,
housing and economic development.
Healthy urban planning also implies a need to place
values such as equity and collaboration – including
intersectoral cooperation and community participation – in
planning decisions. All of these are key themes
in the World Health Organisation’s policy health
for all.
 Raising awareness & understanding
We have through our healthy urban planning programme
played a major role in helping develop with planners
and health professionals a greater understanding of
the implications of urban planning on health.
We have helped to play a strategic role in ensuring
that attention has remained focused on health issues
and as a result has supported policy makers in such
areas. Through the work of the WHO Healthy Cities
Action group in Phase III, where Belfast was represented
by BMAP (Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan) we helped
promote a greater understanding of the concept
of healthy urban planning and in addition provided
information to planners and health professionals on
the inter connections between health and planning. The
Regional Development Strategy for Northern Ireland
recognises the key relationship between the environment
and health and contains a strategic planning guideline
to create healthier living environments and to support
healthy lifestyles and the promotion of a healthy environment
was also highlighted in the BMAP. Through the
City Health Development Plan process, we brought together
a number of professional from different backgrounds
in working groups to assist in the development of a
more integrated planning approach.
As part of our programme to increase understanding
on healthy urban planning, we produced a Quality
of Life Matrix as a tool to support planners
to assess quality of life issues within Area Plans.
Our Healthy Urban Planning Programme
 The role of HIA in Healthy Urban Planning
Our approach to the healthy urban planning programme
in Phase IV, amongst other areas is to explore health
impact assessment as a tool to promote healthy urban
planning. The key aim is to examine the integration
of health impact assessment into existing impact
assessments in spatial planning policies, which currently
are not routinely assessed for their potential impact
on health.
HIA Training
An initial two day training session was held in February
2006 to introduce HIA to planners as well as other
public sector professionals. The course was facilitated
by Erica Ison from Oxford University.
Integrating Health & Planning Event
We established a working group to develop a half
day seminar which was held in Autumn 2006 to explore
how the city of Belfast can meet the WHO healthy
urban planning objectives. Four workshops on
the priority themes of transport; ageing; physical
activity and neighbourhoods identified how
each can be taken forward.
Queens University Undergraduate ‘Healthy
Urban Planning’ module
We are currently working with the Department of Environmental
Planning and Department of Medicine, Queens University
to develop a ‘healthy urban planning’ module
for 24 undergraduate students from both Departments. Health
Impact Assessment and practical exercises for the student
will form the foundation for this programme.
WHO Healthy Urban Planning Sub network
 The lead city for the healthy urban planning sub network
is the city of Milan in Italy, and Belfast is one of
15 member cities. We are represented in the Healthy
Urban Planning Sub network by a senior planner form
BMAP (Belfast Metropolitan Plan) team. We
were also involved in the predecessor to the sub network,
the City Action Group on healthy urban planning which
initiated work on the concept in 2001-2003.
The action plan of this sub network focuses on training,
introducing the concept of healthy urban planning to
cities, developing tools and identifying areas on which
principles can be applied. The Sub network has
identified four areas for action: obesity and physical
activity; transport; neighbourhoods and healthy ageing.
The Polytechnic of Milan and Hugh Barton from the
WHO Collaborating Centre for the Built Environment/University
of West England is the WHO Expert advisor to the group.
Healthy Urban Planning Resources
This section lists a number of resources relevant
to healthy urban planning. Please note that the links
lead to external websites and that Belfast Healthy
Cities is not responsible for content on these sites.
WHO Centre for urban health
An overview of the healthy urban planning approach
as promoted by WHO European Healthy Cities Network.
The page provides links to a range of resources.
http://www.euro.who.int/healthy-cities/UHT/20050201_2
Transport, Health and Environment Pan-European Programme (WHO and UN Economic
Commission for Europe)
http://www.thepep.org/en/welcome.htm
WHO Collaborating Centre for Healthy Cities and Urban Policy/University
of the West of England
http://www.built-environment.uwe.ac.uk/research/who/
Brighton and Hove Healthy Cities
http://www.brightonandhovepct.nhs.uk/healthylives/healthpromotion/healthycity/urbanplanning/index.asp
NHS London Healthy Urban Development Unit
http://www.lda.gov.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.1156
London Health Commission
http://www.londonshealth.gov.uk/
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