Planning for health

In this week’s MJ, Darrell Gale, Chair of our Healthy Places project advisory group, examines ways of strengthening partnerships between planning and public health, including the use of simpler, less prescriptive templates for Health Impact Assessments.

The environment has long impacted human health. Since the Industrial Revolution, efforts to reduce disease have centred on improving the conditions around us.

However, specific urban design features like green spaces and active travel, can reduce the risk of developing these diseases. Therefore, integrating health considerations into planning presents a significant opportunity. Evidence shows that embedding health into the planning system can both improve health outcomes and reduce health inequalities.

Making these approaches effective requires developing the skills, structures and systems needed for close collaboration between public health and planning teams. This will ensure the workforce is better equipped to navigate the UK’s diverse planning practices and inconsistencies in terminology.

Meanwhile, by encouraging cross-sector partnerships, health considerations can be integrated into all policies, creating more impactful and sustainable outcomes…