Join us for an interactive webinar where we will explore evaluation of built environment interventions through a public health lens. John Vick, Director of the Office of Primary Prevention at the Tennessee Department of Health, will present his office’s Built Environment Evaluation Guide and lead participants through an interactive session to design practical evaluations for health-promoting built environment projects such as parks, trails, and playgrounds. We’ll cover the basics of developing evaluation questions, designing a logic model, choosing metrics and data collection methods, and how to share findings with community members. The webinar is appropriate for both beginners and experienced evaluators!

Population health outcomes are often influenced by urban planning decisions as part of housing growth and neighborhood renewal programs. But these decisions, made by urban planners and the planning system, don't always identify mitigation measures to prevent poor health consequences, optimize wellbeing outcomes, and avoid disparities in the community. Is there a tool or process that can support planners who are bound by professional ethics to consider health equity? Is such a tool yet another regulatory burden or the necessary cure to solving society’s urban health problems? Can there be a pragmatic and meaningful approach to integrating health considerations in the highly-regulated planning decision-making processes?

Many urban planners are familiar with the health impact assessment (HIA) as a concept. They are intrigued by it yet uncertain about it or skeptical that it's another instrument of bureaucracy. But this has not stopped the discretionary adoption of HIA as a legitimate planning tool in urban planning policies and practices internationally such as in the UK, USA, and Australia. 

This webinar will look at the introduction of HIAs to the urban planning and urban health community.  By improving the coverage and use of HIAs, we can positively influence health impacts resulting from urban planning policies and practices earlier in the process and further upstream. We can identify mitigation measures,  influence environmental improvements in masterplans and designs, and prevent unhealthy environments before it is too late.

Speakers:

Sandra Whitehead (SOPHIA and George Washington University, USA)

Michael Chang (NHS Property Services and the University of the West of England,

UK)