Planning Healthy Neighbourhoods

1. Presenter: Stephanie Knox Planning Healthy Neighbourhoods

2. Health Status • Epidemic of chronic diseases - cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, diabetes, cancer • Obesity rates – about half of the adult pop are overweight or obese • Insufficient physical activity for health benefits • Mental health disorders are prevalent and increasing

3. Vulnerable groups • Elderly people (and the population is ageing) • Children - they outnumber the elderly at present but situation reversed in 2020s • People with disabilities

4. Children and Youth • 1/3 children overweight or obese (& incr) • socio-economically disadvantaged are more likely to be overweight or obese • Less walking and cycling to school • Social isolation • Access to parks, trails, public transport, recreation and entertainment • Perceptions of safety in neighbourhoods

5. Costs to the community • The direct health care costs of physical inactivity are huge. Physical inactivity is estimated to cost the Australian community around $10 billion nationally each year in direct health care costs; obesity is as high as $5 billion. - Australian Department of Health and Aged Care

6. Australian suburban environments • Car oriented • Poor public transport and links to public transport • Concerns about safety • Poor public space • Poor access to fresh food

7. Compact residential development • Often expensive • Social polarisation • Diminished personal autonomy e.g. no pets • Less access to open space • Often poor access to fresh food

9. Healthy urban environments need: • Mixed uses • Density • Local destinations – schools, parks, shops etc • Attractive local environment, sense of place • Footpaths, cycle paths, trails • Streets for people as well as vehicles • Connected streets • Safe and secure environment • Shade and weather protection • Access to good public transport, and ………….

10. Local facilities within close walking distance 400 – 800 metres • Provide many and varied local facilities • Ensure fresh food Encourage social interaction via neighbourhood clusters (eg library/café, internet café/childcare/community garden)and shared use • Encourage‘sense of place’ – quality in design • Ensure fresh food is accessible

11. Facility Design • Design for easy pedestrian and cycle access • Provide facilities for cyclists • Well designed pedestrian friendly car parks • Green healthy buildings • Make stairs the easy option

13. Parks and open space • Provide pleasant spaces for active, organised and passive recreation for a range of users • Range of sizes for different uses • Promote safety, natural surveillance & amenity • Provide natural shade or structured shelter • Access to nature is important for physical and mental health

14. Neighbourhood parks • Connect with walk and cycle paths • Aesthetically pleasing, attractive trees and gardens • Maintain well • Include facilities eg play equipment, seats drinking fountains, safe and well designed public toilets) • Promote other activities on the edge of parks

15. Walking and cycling routes • Provide for a range of users • Integrated, connected routes to destinations including public transport • Provide safe pathways on predictable travel routes • Appropriate widths, surfaces, grades etc • Continuous paths • Direct and indirect routes • Signage • Shade and shelter

16. Streets for People • Slower traffic speeds – “Reclaim the street and tame the traffic” • Encourage attractive frontages • Increase people on the streets • Integrate neighbourhoods with grid design • Safe and easy access and street crossings

17. Attractive public spaces and places

18. Signs, lights, fencing • Signage - durable, clear, consistent • Light up areas used at night time & places of congregation • Provide transparent fencing along street frontages and adjacent to parks – no blank walls

19. Seats • On paths, in parks, squares etc • At frequent intervals for people to rest – in clusters to encourage social interaction • At places with good views/vistas • With protection from sun and extreme weather

20. Creating ‘commons’ • Involve communities in planning • Promote neighbourliness • Create opportunities for social interaction • Design spaces for community events • Sense of place • Community art

21. Healthy planning practice Strategic Approach • Promote healthy urban planning as core business • Include in mission statements, goals Policy Integration • Incorporate healthy design considerations into policies, strategies and plans across a range of business units

22. Healthy planning practice Implementation tools • Mixed uses • Densities • Footpath and cycle path provision, width etc • Connected streets and destinations Site design and development • Building orientation • Public art • No long blank walls

23. Healthy planning practice Project Initiation • Implement projects that support healthy urban environments Public facilities - Post offices, schools, hospitals • Siting • Connections – walking, public transport • Schools as community centres • Multiple uses and shared use

24. How it’s done elsewhere