Healthy Communities Policy Guide
By American Planning Association
APA's Healthy Communities Policy Guide identifies policy ideas for local, state, and federally elected officials aimed at improving community health and quality of living through planning.
APA believes "healthy communities" are places where all individuals have access to healthy built, social, economic, and natural environments that give them the opportunity to live their fullest potential regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, income, age, abilities, or other socially defined circumstance.
Share this action-oriented guide with policymakers representing your community. Planning for health requires government at all levels to address determinants of chronic disease early by integrating health considerations in planning.
Why Your Community Needs the Healthy Community Policy Guide
Healthy Communities Collaborative Chair Cailean Kok, AICP, discusses why elected officials and planners should use this set of policies to promote and build healthy communities.
How to Use the Guide in Your Community's Plans
Summary
Use the summary to share new policy ideas at-a-glance with colleagues and elected officials.
Resources
Use these APA resources to assess, monitor, and report progress toward healthy planning goals.
Metrics for Planning Healthy Communities
Plan4Health: Health in All Planning Policies Toolkit
This guide was approved by the APA Delegate Assembly on September 24, 2017, and ratified by the APA Board of Directors on October 26, 2017.
Details
About the Author
American Planning Association
The American Planning Association provides leadership in the development of vital communities by advocating excellence in planning, promoting education and citizen empowerment, and providing the tools and support necessary to meet the challenges of growth and change.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Historical Context
Planning’s Role
Rationale and Key Facts
Guiding Policies
General Policies
Specific Policies
Policy Outcomes
Resources: Defining Success For Healthy Communities