Welcome, Introduction, and Overview: "Who is in the Audience" game

The purpose of this Institute is to offer a "how to" for integrating public health issues and public health professionals into the land use and transportation planning process. In the last several years, a renewed understanding of the goals and interests shared by planning and public health has emerged. Compelling research suggests correlations between the built environment and public health concerns such as physical inactivity and resulting chronic diseases, as well as problems related to pedestrian safety, water quality, air quality, social capital, etc. Given these connections, it becomes critical to assess, prevent, and mitigate potential health risks associated with proposed development projects or planning/zoning/community design policies.

Public health professionals have an important role to play in raising public health concerns as a priority in the planning process and in promoting healthier community design strategies. In the U.S., land use planning and community design decisions are primarily made at the local level, yet contributions from local public health professionals are limited, focused primarily on permitting and inspections. However, many local health departments (LHDs) have begun using a variety of health assessment tools to identify local problem areas and proactively influence land use/zoning policy decisions that could have potential negative health impacts on communities.

This workshop will focus on different means and options to better integrate health into these processes (e.g. collaboration across disciplines, health impact assessments and other creative tools). Five strategic points of intervention and collaboration within the planning process (visioning and goal setting plans and planning, implementation tools, site design and development, public facility siting and capital spending) will be discussed as well as specific ways public health officials and practitioners can bring their expertise to bear at each point of intervention. Health impact assessment (HIA) is another tool that will be introduced to the audience as a way to begin to address these issues. Widely used in Europe and Australia, HIA is broadly, “…a practical assessment of policies, programs and projects that may affect the public's health, and which provides recommendations to maximize positive health effects and minimizing the negative health aspects of proposals, policies and projects” (Word Health Organization, http://www.who.int/hia/about/en/). In Europe, collaboration between health professionals and planners using such tools is quite common. These tools can be effective in identifying the health risks and potential alternative options and solutions early on for proposed development, transportation projects, or policies.

Facilitated discussion groups, small group work, and a problem-solving session will further give workshop participants practice analyzing the built environment, the planning process, and land use/community design policies through a health lens. Participants will also be encouraged to reflect on land use/community design challenges in their own communities and how they can use the tools introduced in the workshop in their own work.

Throughout this workshop, the speakers and participatory sessions will specifically address how collaborative tools and strategies are vital to developing and sustaining health communities at the local level.