Toolkit to Integrate Health and Equity Into Comprehensive Plans
By Sagar Shah, PhD, AICP, Brittany Wong
This toolkit will help planners integrate health and equity in their comprehensive plan and plan-making processes. The toolkit builds on APA’s Comprehensive Plan Standards for Sustaining Places initiative, which established a framework for addressing sustainability through comprehensive plans. Among the 10 components of this framework, the toolkit focuses on Interwoven Equity, Healthy Communities, and Authentic Participation components.
The toolkit contains model language about goals, policies, and action items from the 15 existing comprehensive plans that have focused on health and equity.
Details
About the Authors
Sagar Shah, PhD, AICP
Dr. Sagar Shah, AICP, is the Planning and Community Health Manager at the American Planning Association in Washington DC. In this role, he creates tools, training, and educational materials to help local planning practitioners integrate health and equity into their planning practice. In his academic and professional career, he has worked on multiple applied research, community-based research, and basic research projects. Sagar’s research interest includes investigating the role planners play in creating healthy communities with an emphasis on health equity. Sagar holds a PhD in Regional Development Planning from the University of Cincinnati and a Master’s degree in Planning from the University of Southern California.
Brittany Wong
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Executive Summary
Introduction
The Toolkit
How to Use This Toolkit
Model Language to Align with Comprehensive Plan Standards
Interwoven Equity
Healthy Community
Authentic Participation
Conclusion
Findings
Recommendations
References
Appendix A
Methodology
Plan Selection
Plan Analysis
Data Analysis
Appendix B
Links to Plan Documents and Updates and Health Impact Assessments (HIAs)