Transcript Healthy by Design - Planning Institute Australia

Planning Healthy
Neighbourhoods
Presenter: Stephanie Knox
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
Vulnerable groups
 Elderly people (and the
population is ageing)
 Children - they
outnumber the elderly
at present but situation
reversed in 2020s
 People with disabilities
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
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
Australian suburban
environments
 Car oriented
 Poor public
transport and links
to public transport
 Concerns about
safety
 Poor public space
 Poor access to fresh
food
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
Healthy urban environments
need:
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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 ………….
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
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
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
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
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
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
Attractive public spaces and
places
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
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
Creating ‘commons’
 Involve communities in
planning
 Promote
neighbourliness
 Create opportunities for
social interaction
 Design spaces for
community events
 Sense of place
 Community art
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
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
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
How it’s done elsewhere