Download ppt – tophc – 2011

Public Health and Land Use Planning:
How Ten Public Health Units are Working to Create Healthy
and Sustainable Communities
Project Manager & Author: Kim Perrotta
Presenting to the Ontario Public Health Convention
April 8, 2011
Partners & Contact Information
• Ministry of Health Promotion
& Sport – Healthy
Communities Fund (funding)
• Clean Air Partnership (CAP) –
lead agency
• Ontario Public Health
Association (OPHA) – partner
through Health & Built
Environment Workgroup
Contact Information:
Clean Air Partnership (CAP)
75 Elizabeth Street
Toronto, Ontario M5G 1P4
416-392-6672
www.cleanairpartnership.org
[email protected]
905-628-9437
http://www.cleanairpartnership.org/public_health_and_the_built_environment
Ten Public Health Units
• North:
– Sudbury & District Health Unit
• Rural:
– Grey Bruce Health Unit
– HKPR District Health Unit
– Simcoe Muskoka District Health
Unit
• Urban/Rural Mix:
– Niagara Region Public Health
– Region of Waterloo Public Health
• GTA:
– York Region Public Health
Branch
– Peel Public Health
– Halton Region Health
Department
– Toronto Public Health
Structure of Background Report
• Overview – health & the built environment
for six factors:
– Physical activity
– Injuries
– Healthy Eating
– Air Quality
– Climate Change
– Water Quality
• Priority Population: Low Income Populations
• Case Studies – 10 PHUs
• Discussion
– Interventions
– Strategies
– Program Areas & Expertise
– Organization Structures
• Recommendations
Interventions Being Sought
Active & Alternative Transportation
• Rural areas:
– Paved shoulders between
communities, trails, & connectivity
– Physical Activity, Injury Prevention &
Access
• Small urban areas:
– Urban design & infrastructure
– Physical Activity, Injury Prevention &
Access
• Large Urban Areas
– Development patterns, densities,
design & infrastructure
– Air Quality, Climate Change, Physical
Activity, Injury Prevention & Access
Interventions Being Sought
Increase Access to Healthy Foods
• Official Plans , Secondary Plans &
Site Plans:
– Mobile farmers' markets
– Community gardens
– Green roofs
– Equitable access to retailers
selling fresh foods
• Programs – Establishing mobile
markets & community gardens
• Community Food Security:
– Research , policies & programs
– Support preservation of local
farm land
Interventions Being Sought
Address Localized Air Quality Impacts
• OP Policies:
– Linking air quality to transit, active
transportation, energy efficiency in
official plans
– air studies & cumulative air quality
– Compatible land uses
– Separation distances for highways
• OP Implementation Guidelines:
– Compatible land uses
– Air Quality Impacts
• Programs:
– airshed modelling & monitoring
Interventions Being Sought
Mitigating & Adapting to Climate Change
• General OP Policies: Linking climate
change to transit, active
transportation & energy efficiency
• Specific OP Policies: Adaptation to
climate change:
– Permeable surfaces
– greenspace
– Urban forestry
– water efficiency
• Programs:
– Bring climate into municipal
programs
– Eg. Urban Forestry
Interventions Being Sought
Protecting Ground Water
• Site plans & subdivision plans:
Several PHUs review them for
impact on ground water
• CofAs, and EAs: Several review them
for impact on ground water
• Official Plan Policies: General
policies to protect ground water.
• Hydrogeological Guidelines
referenced by one Regional OP:
– Can request HG assessments
from proponents
– Can have them Peer Reviewed
by a HG on retainer at
proponent’s expense
Interventions & Low Income Populations
Chronic Disease & Injury Prevention
• Active transportation & public transit:
– More benefits for low income
– Ensure populations are consulted &
considered in master plans
• Trails, parks & greenspace:
– Access is more important for low
income & less likely
– Ensure equitable distribution
• Healthy foods:
– Access issues are greater & less likely
– Target neighbourhoods for programs
– Push for affordable housing
Interventions & Low Income Populations
Environmental Health
• Air Quality:
– Low income populations more
likely to live close to traffic
corridors & emission sources
– Address with cumulative air
quality impact assessments
– Address with separation
distances for traffic corridors
• Climate Change:
– Extreme heat is harder on low
income groups
– Targeted adaptation programs
e.g. trees and cooling centres
Strategies Employed by Public Health Units
• Health Promotion & Community
Engagement
– walkON workshops & walking surveys
– Air and climate ads in theatres
• Cultivating Community Partnerships
– Commenting on planning documents
– Developing Active Transportation Plans
– Community Gardens projects
• Developing Relationships with Planning
– Conferences & PPS comments
– Integrated Planning Departments
– Placements with
Municipalities/Planning
– Participating in Official Plan Processes
Strategies Employed by Public Health Units
• Research & Policy Development
– Literature Reviews
– Policy papers – walkability criteria,
compatible land uses for air quality
– Geospatial analyses for heat, air
quality, income status, health status
– Developing tools that can assess
health impacts associated with land
use planning decisions
• Commenting on Planning Documents
– Regional & local official plans
– Secondary Plans, Subdivision Plans &
Site Plans, Master Plans
– CofAs & EAs
Program Areas, Functional Expertise & Roles
• Programs: CDIP & Environmental
Health
• Functional Expertise:
– Assessment and surveillance
– Health promotion and policy
development
– Disease and injury prevention
– Health protection
• Creating Specialized Positions
– CDIP – Policy & Planning expertise
– EH – Policy, Air Quality, Toxicology,
Water Quality expertise
– Hiring expertise in some cases
– Contracting expertise in others
Organizational Structures - Built Environment
• Restructuring Internally
– Ontario Public Health Standards
– Social indicators
• Multi-Disciplinary Teams
– Geographical or Built Environment
teams
• Informal Relationships
– Team leads for different Programs
– Program Planning
• Working through Committees
– Coordination & collaboration
• Identifying a Point Person
• Healthy Public Policy Directorate
Thank-you
http://www.cleanairpartnership.org/public_health_and_the_built_environment