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Local Council
Healthy Built Environments
Our focus on healthy environments is based on a growing body of evidence which shows a strong relationship between the environment and people's health.
We know that where we live shapes how easy it is to buy healthy food, use active transport, access public open spaces and make social connections.
Healthy Built Environments support positive health outcomes by making healthy, active lifestyle choices easier.
We partner with local councils, the National Heart Foundation and other local health districts to contribute to healthy environments that make the healthier choice, the easier choice.
What makes a healthy place?
The Heart Foundation’s Healthy Active by Design
The Heart Foundation shows how best-practice planning, and design of buildings, streets, towns and cities can improve Australians’ heart health.
Healthy Active by Design provides the best-available evidence, practical advice, checklists and case studies to help with the development of healthy neighbourhoods and communities that promote walking, cycling and an active public life.
Elements that contribute to healthy place making include:
- Public Open Space
- Movement Networks
- Destination
- Community Facilities
- Buildings
- Sense of Place
- Housing Diversity
- Healthy Food
Visit the Heart Foundation website for resources, fact sheets, training opportunities and more.
Movement and Place Resources
The NSW Government Movement and Place website outlines the principles of ‘taking a Movement and Place approach’ in the context of existing planning and assessment processes. They provide a list of built environment indicators, case studies and guides for practitioners to use.
Healthy Streets – Making Streets Healthy Places for Everyone
Healthy Streets is a human-centred framework for embedding public health in transport, public realm and planning.
The 10 Healthy Streets Indicators focus on the human experience needed on all streets, everywhere, for everyone – they are:
- Everyone feels welcome
- Easy to cross
- Shade & shelter
- Places to stop & rest
- Not too noisy
- People choose to walk & cycle
- People feel safe
- Things to see & do
- People feel relaxed
- Clean air
To learn more about Healthy Streets visit the Healthy Streets website or contact Suzanne Gleeson at suzanne.gleeson@health.nsw.gov.au.
The NSW Health Healthy Built Environment Checklist
The Healthy Built Environment Checklist offers a standardised approach to evaluating built environment factors affecting health, and suggests ways to improve health outcomes.
Australian Urban Observatory
We have a formal partnership with the Australian Urban Observatory (AUO) – a digital platform that draws on evidence-based research to map the liveability of Australia’s 21 largest cities.
We have access to all indicators at the Statistical Areas Level 1 (SA1), suburb and Local Government Area (LGA) level across NSW.
We are in the process of collating liveability data related to five Local Government Areas: Burwood, Canada Bay, Inner West, Strathfield and Canterbury Bankstown (Canterbury suburbs).
Contact the Health Promotion Unit to find out more about our Healthy Built Environment work.