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Healthy Built Environment

The Population and Public Health program strives to support the creation of built environments that can support physical, mental, and social health and well-being.
Our activities

Supporting evidence-informed collaborations between public health and BC municipalities. 

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.  

Reports & resources

Mobilizing public health action on climate change

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) are pleased to share a new Building Hope through Action report which summarizes the experiences of ten BC communities in responding to their identified climate change priorities.  These stories are shared in order to encourage ongoing conversations about local collaborative actions to increase climate change resiliency and adaptation, and to illustrate the diverse ways and scales that public health can offer support. 

The report features the following community stories and includes a welcoming statement by the Chee Mamuk team at BCCDC and closing remarks by former Chief Patrick Michell of Kanaka Bar:   

  1. VCH Climate Resilience Housing Policy
  2. Connect & Prepare, Building Resilient Neighbourhoods, Hey Neighbour Collective
  3. We All Take Care of the Harvest, FNHA and BCCDC
  4. Ticks and Climate Change, BCCDC
  5. Cool Playground, BC Cancer
  6. Climate Change Adaptation Initiatives in the City of Burnaby, Fraser Health
  7. Building a Community Resiliency Plan to Shelter in Place during Extreme Weather Events, Kanaka Bar
  8. Case studies previously featured at the BC Climate Roundtable (briefer summaries):
    • A Community-centered Approach to Addressing Climate Change and Supporting Children’s Mental Health
    • Indigenous Food Sovereignty in Tea Creek
    • Heat Alert and Response System, Ashcroft BC
This report is a follow-up to the “Roundtable on Climate Change and Health” dialogue with Dr. Theresa Tam, Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, which was held on November 7th, 2022.  The event and this report were initiated by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) – Western Region with support from the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) and community experiences from across BC.

For the roundtable conversation, Knowledge Keeper, Sulksan, Shane Pointe welcomed the event by calling on us to lift up the hearts and minds of all Canadians to respect Mother Earth and her finite resources, reminding us of his personal motto “nutsamaht” (We are one).  

Over 134 participants came together to learn more about Dr Tam’s recent annual report and the potential to address the impacts of climate change through small scale community led actions.  This report summarizes the presentation and discussion highlights.  Watch a recording of the webinar.

Mental Health & Well-being: Considerations for the built environment

This report focuses on how local planning and design can support positive mental health and well-being, and is a companion resource to the content in the HBE Linkages Toolkit.   

Mitigating social isolation with municipal planning in British Columbia

This report examines the state of municipal planning for social isolation in B.C. and the extent to which it is included in built environment planning. The report explores common challenges and provides examples of effective interventions and resources to help municipalities integrate social isolation into community planning.

The Evolution of BC's Healthy Built Environment Teams

After over 11 years of operation, BC’s Healthy Built Environment HBE) teams across the province came together to reflect on the process of their evolution, their strengths and the different challenges they have encountered, and where best to direct their energy and resources in order to continue moving the HBE agenda forward. This project was initiated with the goal of creating institutional memory as to how HBE work has evolved in the health authorities, and identifying how this work can best be supported going forward. Released: July 2018

  • Final report

Healthy Built Environment Linkages: A toolkit for design, planning, & health

A groundbreaking evidence-based and expert-informed resource that links planning principles to health outcomes. Audience: Anyone involved in work that affects the built environment; Released: May, 2018

Archived versions of the HBE linkages toolkit:

Health 201: A knowledge-to action framework for creating healthier built environments guide

A step-by-step guide that includes a self-assessment tool, a Health and the Built Environment Primer, and a list of relevant references and resources. Audience: Planners, design professionals and people involved in local government decision-making; Released: March, 2010

Workshop materials

Bringing health to the planning table: a profile of promising practices in Canada and abroad (PHAC)

Public Health Agency of Canada report profiles 13 Canadian communities where collaborative approaches to improve health have been a key consideration in planning decisions. Prepared for the Healthy Living Issue Group of the Pan-Canadian Public Health Network. Released: May, 2009

Foundations for a healthier built environment

Introductory report that explains the link between health and the built environment and calls for improved collaboration between the health and planning sectors. Audience: People relatively new to HBE issues or who want to improve intersectoral collaboration; Released: January, 2009

Indicators for a healthy built environment in BC

List of indicators that provide objective ways to measure and track changes in community status and population health. Released: July, 2008

Introduction to land-use planning for health professionals (Planning 101)

Workshop training module introducing health professionals to planning terms and processes. Audience: Public health professionals; Released: June, 2008

From strategy to action: Case studies on physical activity and the built environment

Report highlighting built environment initiatives to increase physical activity and promote health through community planning and design. Released: October, 2007

Creating a healthier built environment in BC

Report on best practices related to the built environment that address obesity-promoting factors Released: September, 2007


Reports & resources

The Evolution of BC's Healthy Built Environment Teams

After over 11 years of operation, BC’s Healthy Built Environment HBE) teams across the province came together to reflect on the process of their evolution, their strengths and the different challenges they have encountered, and where best to direct their energy and resources in order to continue moving the HBE agenda forward. This project was initiated with the goal of creating institutional memory as to how HBE work has evolved in the health authorities, and identifying how this work can best be supported going forward. Released: July 2018

  • Final report

Healthy Built Environment Linkages: A toolkit for design, planning, & health

A groundbreaking evidence-based and expert-informed resource that links planning principles to health outcomes. Audience: Anyone involved in work that affects the built environment; Released: May, 2018

Archived versions of the HBE linkages toolkit:

Health 201: A knowledge-to action framework for creating healthier built environments guide

A step-by-step guide that includes a self-assessment tool, a Health and the Built Environment Primer, and a list of relevant references and resources. Audience: Planners, design professionals and people involved in local government decision-making; Released: March, 2010

Workshop materials

Bringing health to the planning table: a profile of promising practices in Canada and abroad (PHAC)

Public Health Agency of Canada report profiles 13 Canadian communities where collaborative approaches to improve health have been a key consideration in planning decisions. Prepared for the Healthy Living Issue Group of the Pan-Canadian Public Health Network. Released: May, 2009

Foundations for a healthier built environment

Introductory report that explains the link between health and the built environment and calls for improved collaboration between the health and planning sectors. Audience: People relatively new to HBE issues or who want to improve intersectoral collaboration; Released: January, 2009

Indicators for a healthy built environment in BC

List of indicators that provide objective ways to measure and track changes in community status and population health. Released: July, 2008

Introduction to land-use planning for health professionals (Planning 101)

Workshop training module introducing health professionals to planning terms and processes. Audience: Public health professionals; Released: June, 2008

From strategy to action: Case studies on physical activity and the built environment

Report highlighting built environment initiatives to increase physical activity and promote health through community planning and design. Released: October, 2007

Creating a healthier built environment in BC

Report on best practices related to the built environment that address obesity-promoting factors Released: September, 2007


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