Healthy people, places, community

There is growing awareness of the relationship between the environment and health across professions ranging from public health to community planning to design of buildings and infrastructure. This relationship is taking on new urgency as society grapples with issues such as the virtual epidemic of chronic diseases linked to lifestyle and environment; an aging population; the spiraling costs of a healthcare system focused more on treatment than primary prevention; and declining financial resource at all levels. While public health, planning, and design professionals have been addressing aspects of these problems, they tend to practice in “silos” and their efforts would be more effective if integrated to promote health and wellness at the neighborhood and community scales. Representing the planning, design, and public health fields, the co-authors have developed a strategic initiative to bring together these and other professions and resources in a comprehensive approach designed to transform communities by fostering healthy people living in healthy places. The session will present case studies from places such as Austin, Cleveland, Kansas City, and Philadelphia, where planning and design processes are being driven by issues related to environmental and public health. It will then describe the elements of a Healthy People, Places, Community initiative, which can be undertaken at the neighborhood, communitywide, or regional scale. These elements include: establish a partnership representing the public, private, nonprofit, and civic sectors; conduct a diagnosis to identify key issues through community engagement and analysis of environmental and public health data; and prepare a strategic action plan that leverages interventions by different professions and partners to address the issues and improve public health outcomes. An accountable implementation program plan identifying partner roles, funding sources, and indicators to measure and track success in achieving the target outcomes is key to success of the initiative.