Integrating health into urban planning towards sustainability in Asian cities: Workshop summary

Abstract

The developing countries in Asia are going through rapid urbanization, and integrating health considerations in the early stage of urban planning is important for sustainable development. This project was aimed at capacity building of participants from developing countries in Asia to enhance their awareness on this topic, and to introduce assessment tools that are available to generate evidence that can inform public policymaking in urban planning. A total of 38 participants comprising academics, policymakers, practitioners and civil society from the Asian region attended the workshop. Issues on climate change and air pollution, and examples of good practices on physical activity promotion and mental health in the urban areas of Asian countries were presented. Collaboration across sectors and community engagement were emphasized in ensuring effective policy implementation. The assessment tools that were introduced included Health Impact Assessment (HIA), Low Carbon Living Co-benefits Calculator, Integrated Transport and Health Modelling, and Participatory System Dynamics thinking (PsD). The key concepts and data needed in the tool operations were explained. These tools need to be applied in the early decision-making phase to produce evidence that justifies the inclusion of health in policy later.