Healthy Places
Improving health and wellbeing for Hampshire residents.
The places in which we live provide the foundations of our health. Public Health’s Healthy Places team collaborates with place-making professionals (such as town and transport planners) to help improve health and wellbeing for Hampshire residents and reduce inequalities by shaping our environment.
Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA)
Local population health, health inequalities and demographic data for Hampshire have been mapped in Hampshire’s Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA).
The JSNA is used by place professionals, partners and the public as a local evidence base. Public Health officers can provide support in learning to use the JSNA in project and plan development.
Information and resources
A selection of Healthy Places resources across a range of topics have been provided. For further information about Healthy Places, contact the Public Health team: [email protected].
Spatial planning and regeneration
The way we plan, design and manage the places we live in, has a profound impact on people's health and wellbeing. As areas grow and evolve, it’s vital that spatial planning and other place-making projects support and reinforce the building blocks of health and wellbeing, helping to protect and improve health and create places where everyone can thrive.
- Hampshire Planning Position Statement
- RTPI Planning for Health Resource
- Town and Country Planning Association: Healthy place-making resources
- Quality of Life Foundation: Creating Healthy Places Through Planning Health equity
Transport and health
Transport is essential to modern living, but the way we travel and how accessible or connected we make our communities can bring both health benefits and negative impacts.
The Public Health team supports evidence-based approaches to transport provision, creating networks where everyone has the opportunity to make healthier travel choices.
- Hampshire’s Local Transport Plan 4
- Active travel England Case Studies
- Department for Transport’s Scientific Advisory Panel land use and transport planning paper
- Transport, health and wellbeing: An evidence review for the Department for Transport
- Chief Medical Officer’s annual report 2024: Health in cities
Healthy Streets
Healthy Streets is an evidence-based approach to creating fairer, equitable and sustainable spaces. It is a framework to create streets where people feel safe, can travel on foot or by bike, can enjoy places to stop and rest, with cleaner air and less noise, and is an integral part of our Local Transport Plan 4.
The Healthy Streets framework has ten indicators that ensure our streets improve public health and cater for the needs of everyone.
- What is Healthy Streets?
- Healthy Streets tools and resources for placemaking professionals and the public
Air pollution
Air pollution harms health and quality of life. Reducing air pollution and exposure to pollution, particularly for the most vulnerable such as children and older people, will improve health for everyone. The Public Health team encourages professionals to work together and collaborate on evidence-based approaches to tackle air pollution, across disciplines.
- Health Matters: Impact of air pollution
- National air pollution targets and measurement data
- Government guidance for local authority activity
- Guidance from the Institute of Air Quality Management on best working practices
Access to green and blue spaces
High quality, accessible green and blue space, (such as parks and countryside, rivers, canals and seashore), and green infrastructure, (such as Public Rights of Way and bridleways) not only improve our environment and climate but also improve our health and wellbeing and help address inequalities. Protecting and enhancing our natural environment, in urban and rural areas, is key to the health and sustainability of both people and planet.
- Public Health England: Improving access to green space: 2020 review
- Natural England: Accessible Greenspace Standard User Guide
- Natural England: Reviews of the link between nature and health, case studies and more
Health effects of climate change
The changing climate is already impacting our health and poses an increasing risk in the future. It is important that we take action to mitigate and adapt to the health impacts of climate change, while highlighting the benefits that many of these actions will have for health and wellbeing.
- UK Health Security Agency: Climate change: Health effects in the UK
- UK Climate Change Committee: Information including progress reports and UK climate risk
Housing and health
Having a safe and settled home is a fundamental building block of our health and wellbeing, whether we own our home or live in social or private rented accommodation. It encompasses factors such as the condition of our homes, stability, space, tenure and cost.