Healthy Built Environments
The built environment encompasses all buildings, spaces, and products that are created or modified by people, and includes land use planning and policies impacting our communities. It includes our homes, schools, workplaces, parks/recreation areas, business areas and roads.
Built environments influence healthy lifestyle choices. Well-planned built environments can protect green spaces and parks, provide accessible housing, promote arts and culture, reduce injuries, and improve safety, physical activity levels, adequate access to local nutrition, and air and water quality.
Major Initiatives
CLASP Healthy Canada by Design. A focus on Healthy Built Environments at the WRHA was initially supported through the Healthy Canada by Design initiative with funding from the Coalition Linking Action and Science for Prevention (CLASP) and support from the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada. Health regions, municipalities, and professional organizations across the country developed research and resources as part of this initiative.
Strategic Plan and Logic Model
Position Statement
Reports
- Healthy Built Environment – Program Monitoring Report, 2015
- Healthy Canada by Design CLASP Case Study: Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.
Presentations
Committees
- Healthy Built Environment Working Group – Terms of Reference
Fact Sheets
- Thrive! Nova Scotia describes features of a healthy built environment in this infographic
- Fast Facts about Canada’s Neighbourhoods and Physical Activity. Public Health Agency of Canada
- Active Transportation, Health and Community Design: What is the Canadian evidence saying? Canadian Institute of Planners
- Active Living, Children & Youth: What is the Canadian evidence saying? Canadian Institute of Planners
- Health Equity and Community Design: What is the Canadian evidence saying? Canadian Institute of Planners
Resources
- Health by Design: Architectural design can help encourage physical activity – inside and out. Wave, pp. 38-40
- Healthy Environment: Well-designed neighbourhoods can promote better health. Wave, pp. 46-47
- Connect with nature: Take your physical activity outside for added health benefits, even in winter. Wave
- Where you live can affect your health. City of Winnipeg Leisure Guide
- Healthy Environments, Healthy People: 2015 Health Status of Manitobans Report
- New York City’s Center for Active Design is a leader in the application of healthy built environment principles
- British Columbia’s Provincial Health Services Authority has developed a framework outlining planning principles supported by health evidence: Healthy Built Environment Linkages Toolkit
- Medical Officers of Health from Hamilton, Peel, Simcoe-Muskoka, and Toronto collaborated on the development of a report outlining the health impacts of transportation patterns in the Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area: Improving Health by Design in the Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area