Bristol case study used in WHO New Urban Agenda report

A case study showcasing Bristol’s commitment to health in its neighbourhood planning formed part of the World Health Organisation (WHO) report to inform the UN’s New Urban Agenda. The case study says:

“In Bristol, public health officers and the local municipality have worked together closely to develop several tools to support local communities in using a “health lens” to identify local physical elements that either detract from health or promote health in the areas where they live. This has enabled their lived experiences to feed into neighbourhood planning processes.”

The case study was included in the WHO document ‘Health as the pulse of the New Urban Agenda’ (PDF) by Marcus Grant, Director of the Supporting Healthy Inclusive Neighbourhood Environments Health Integration Team (SHINE HIT). The Bristol case study is box six on page 20 of the document. The document makes the case for health to be a major factor in the UN’s New Urban Agenda.

The New Urban Agenda was agreed at the Habitat III
informal intergovernmental meeting from 7 to 10 September 2016, and adopted in Quito,
Ecuador, in October 2016.

Habitat
III is a major UN intergovernmental process, setting the global agenda for
urban development, the human habitat, at the highest level. Happening every
20 years, Habitat II saw a change to its original intention, with urban
economic success becoming a priority. This was seen by many as a wrong turn. Habitat III corrects this and with support form the WHO has put human
flourishing, health and wellbeing centrally back into what is being termed the New Urban Agenda. Unlike Habitat II, the New Urban Agenda is seen as a
document not only for low and middle income countries, but an agreement that
has significant content for cities across Europe, including the UK.

Marcus said:

“With
my knowledge of the field, I know that Bristol has been and is a pioneer in
promoting support for better population health and health equity through urban
policy. So I am really pleased that a case study of our work can
sit alongside others from cities all over the world in such a document.”

Download ‘Health as the pulse of the New Urban Agenda’ (PDF)