Breaking new ground: Supporting the inclusion of health and equity into regional planning processes

With an understanding of the social determinants of health, practitioners are continuing to innovate and expand into new policy and planning arenas typically not in the realm of public health. Local built environment and transportation policies and plans have been of particular focus for health professionals. The regional geography is an important scale to expand into given how regional the economy has become. Regional transportation, housing, and more recently, sustainability, planning enables the allocation of resources across the region, identifies development patterns and makes critical decisions that dictate how our communities grow and change for years to come.

In the last several years a handful of health advocates and practitioners have been working with their Metropolitan Planning Organizations (the regional planning entities) to infuse health into regional planning processes with the recognition that where you live has enormous implications for individual and community health. These multi-field partnerships are at various levels of development but have all experienced aspects of success and many lessons learned. It's important for health practitioners to work at this scale in order to ensure healthy, communities of opportunities.

This presentation will describe the connections between health, health equity and regional planning, as well as identify specific federal programs and local opportunities that support the inclusion of health and equity at the regional level. This presentation will lay the foundation for, and facilitate, a panel including three regional examples from across the nation where health practitioners have successfully incorporated health into regional planning processes.