Opportunities at the intersection of planning, education, and public health: An interdisciplinary agenda for research and action

The decisions of city and regional planning agencies and school districts have relevant and related public health impacts. The planning and education sectors are critical for promoting healthy communities, minds and bodies. However, these connections are often neither acknowledged nor acted on by all stakeholders. Although scholars to date have separately linked planning and health, education and health, and planning and education, there is little work at the intersection of all three. We review and synthesize theoretical and empirical literature to demonstrate the complex linkages between local planning, education policy, and public health outcomes. We then propose a conceptual framework for these linkages, with mechanisms operating at the individual and community level. Theoretical frameworks utilized include communicative and collaborative planning, healthy urban planning and governance, social capital, and positive youth development. Empirical research includes, for example, literature on walkable schools, which offer opportunities for a convergence of decision-making and outcomes in all three sectors. We then propose areas for future research and action. We offer recommendations on how to apply our framework to facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration for more sustainable shared solutions. We also suggest how this scientific evidence base can be merged with social activism for effective policy advocacy and program planning.