Background

Given the increased recognition of the influence of the built environment on health, health services across NSW have been exploring ways to more actively engage in the urban planning and development process.

The development of the Healthy Urban Development Checklist is one of the measures that is intended to address these needs. The Checklist is a tool that can assist health professionals participate, both proactively and reactively, in the planning system with the goal to achieve better health outcomes.

The Checklist enables health professionals to  provide advice to assist planners and proponents understand the health implications of policies, plans or proposals. That advice will include identification of key health issues, relevant supporting evidence and recommendations. Importantly, the advice should identify both positive and negative attributes of the policy, plan or proposal being considered. The advice provided is not intended to replace the work of planners; it should not advise planners to accept or reject a policy, plan or proposal. It is more about identifying health effects and suggesting how positive effects can be maximised and negative health effects minimised.