Deliver Public Health Net Gain Through Design - Summer Learning Programme 2023

The session is part of the summer learning program aimed at improving public health through design, specifically focusing on creating places that enhance health and well-being. The program is provided by Homes England's Local Government Capacity Center and ties closely to their strategic plan which emphasizes creating health-benefiting environments as a crucial objective.

Michael Chang and Natasha Reed, experts in town planning and design respectively, are introduced as presenters. Michael covers planning from a public health perspective, working on guidance for healthy design, while Natasha focuses on health and well-being in urban spaces. An agenda is outlined, including presentations and a Q&A session accompanied by polls to engage the audience.

Michael Chang's presentation centers on integrating health considerations into the design process. The evidence linking planning to health outcomes is presented, emphasizing the necessity of thinking differently about design to address public health issues and inequalities. Key publications are mentioned, highlighting the potential of urban design in solving health-related challenges and improving overall quality of life.

Discussions include the impact of urban planning on health inequalities, advocating for integrated design approaches that consider diverse population needs, such as socioeconomically disadvantaged groups, elderly, and those living in varied geographical settings. The emphasis is on planning developments that cater to the entire community's health requirements rather than focusing on specific groups alone.

The presentation explores NHS England's Healthy New Towns initiative, which tested various methods to align health and housing development. A case study of Barton Park illustrates how health objectives were successfully integrated without creating separate health-focused development models, suggesting that existing tools can enhance health outcomes if applied thoughtfully and collaboratively.

Highlighting policy integration, the session references various design policies and frameworks, asserting that not all local design policies inherently consider health objectives. There's a call for more integration of health outcomes in local planning strategies, querying whether current initiatives adequately address community health needs or merely create superficial commitments.

The UK's national design guide and associated guidance are used to emphasize the integration of health-promoting features into design codes. Examples and recommendations are discussed for creating inclusive, safe, and health-oriented environments, suggesting that such integration should not be seen as burdensome but essential in planning and urban development processes.

Michael shares the proposed framework for health-oriented design coding, which aligns spatial scales and community health needs. The process involves engaging stakeholders, utilizing health evidence, and setting clear health outcomes measurable against public health priorities. These stages are supported by design coding examples to illustrate tangible links between design and health benefits.

Exploration of design coding principles is facilitated by examples focusing on movement, access, public spaces, and built forms. The emphasis is on inclusive development that supports active travel, social connectivity, and environmental health. Discussions suggest that aligning current initiatives with broader health and design goals can lead to better community health outcomes.

The presentation concludes by urging the adoption of a systems approach in urban planning that integrates public health at every stage. Encouragement is given for using existing tools, such as design reviews and health impact assessments, to reinforce health considerations in planning. There's a call for continuous monitoring and collaboration with health professionals to fine-tune strategies.

Michael announces workshops to deepen understanding of health-integrated urban planning, aiming for practical engagement and critique of real-world sites. He stresses the importance of intentional and thoughtful integration of health into design processes, encouraging the audience to be critical of design tools and to involve public health expertise in planning.

Natasha Reed introduces her place quality framework developed for Brent Council, designed to prioritize health, well-being, and inclusivity in planning. This framework aims to standardize quality of life outcomes across developments, drawing on evidence-informed design to shape environments supporting diverse community needs, particularly in deprived or disadvantaged areas.

The place quality framework reshapes design quality benchmarks to focus on quality of life, not just physical form, emphasizing local needs such as social cohesion and health disparities. Detailed criteria across three dimensions—health, community, and vibrancy—provide a structured assessment approach that involves stakeholders and reflects the socio-economic context of development areas.

Tools provided within Natasha's framework facilitate planning through a series of qualitative assessments. They assess user needs, site context, and proposed quality criteria, asking developers to substantiate design choices and their expected impact on community well-being. Emphasis is placed on transparent, evidence-backed design processes to improve outcomes.

For practical implementation, the framework includes design requirements such as quality statements and drawings demonstrating the integration of the framework's criteria. This facilitates assessment consistency across varying scales of development, encouraging design practices that address local socio-economic conditions and promote overall community well-being.