Policy Implementation Tools for Healthier Urban Environments

It is now well-documented that spatial patterns of urban sprawl resulting from low density development are strongly associated with automobile dependency, low levels of physical activity and increased risk for chronic disease. However, features of the urban environment can be modified to improve physical activity, particularly in the form of active travel. This presentation will explore how evidence-based policy implementation tools are being used to evaluate the health impacts of proposed developments, with a focus on the Healthy Development Assessment (HDA) tool used in the Region of Peel. This presentation will also illustrate how such a tool might be applied in other contexts by summarizing preliminary findings from a research project that assessed the feasibility of implementing the HDA in the City of Hamilton.

 

Learning Objectives: 

 

• Awareness about the implications of the built environment for physical activity and chronic disease outcomes

• Understanding of how evidence-based policy tools can be applied in planning practice to improve the health-promoting ability of the built environment