Our activities
The Population & Public health team (PPH) collaborates with diverse stakeholders in order to support the inclusion of health considerations within community planning and design processes.
A key factor in the success of healthy built environment collaborative initiatives is shared understanding of the important influence that our environment has on population health, and the role each stakeholder has to play.
PPH coordinates the BC Healthy Built Environment Alliance (HBEA), a cross-sectoral network of leaders interested in shared learning and practice discussions intended to support local actions for healthier communities. HBEA membership includes representatives from regional health authorities, Ministries, local governments, research and community organizations.
PPH develops conceptual and practical resources for health professionals, community planners and local governments so that they are better equipped to promote healthier built environments. For example, "Health 201" is a step-by-step guide that supports planners, design professionals and local governments to take actions towards creating healthier built environments. For audiences new to healthy built environment issues, the Foundations for a Healthier Built Environment summary report is an introductory educational resource.
As an on-going contribution, PPH strives to expand provincial and cross-sectoral understandings of how the built environment influences population health. We regularly review and synthesize current research findings to develop tools and resources to guide practice such as the "Healthy Built Environments Linkages Toolkit"
Using an evidence based approach, the Healthy Built Environments Linkages Toolkit outlines a series of planning principles and describes how these lead to behavioural and environmental impacts (e.g., walking, transit use, noise levels, and traffic safety) which are correlated to population health and well-being outcomes.
