Supporting Healthy Inclusive Neighbourhood Environments HIT review of 2013-14

Dr Suzanne Audrey and Marcus Grant reflect on the achievements in 2013-14 of the Supporting Healthy Inclusive Neighbourhood Environments Health Integration Team (SHINE HIT).

The Supporting Healthy Inclusive Neighbourhood Environments
(SHINE) HIT is working on several key areas to help ensure that budgets spent
on city renewal, renovation and transport align with positive outcomes for
people’s health and community cohesion.

We are
involved in several pieces of work funded by Public Health England (PHE) at a
national level. Projects include a South West survey led by Adrian Davis on the
feasibility of setting-up a responsive evidence service for queries on the
planning and health evidence base, and a development management review into the
urban food system and spatial planning for Bristol City Council.

Marcus
has given evidence at a public planning inspector hearing for Bristol
Development Management Policies. Using a health evidence base, and supported by
others in the SHINE leadership group, he has argued for and secured an increase
in the ratio of cycle spaces to be provided by developers in all new housing in
Bristol. Marcus is a keynote speaker for the Academy of Urbanism Congress in
May with a presentation called ‘This place is killing us’. Marcus is a member
of the reference group for PHE’s ‘Healthy Places, Healthy People’ programme.

SHINE will be leading a major conference for European Green
Capital year called Cities of Health, on 13-17 October 2015.

Suzanne is currently focussing on the walking environment and is
working with the Bristol City Council Walking Festival planning group. She
spoke at a twilight talk at the Architecture Centre entitled ‘Bristol – walking
city’ and is contributing to the Architecture Centre Spring Green exhibition
which is focussing on the anatomy of a healthy city.

Suzanne
has also received funding to employ a research assistant to examine the
research evidence of the links between health and the neighbourhood
environment. She has produced a brief report for the elected Mayor’s budget
consultation, summarising the public health issues relating to the proposed
closure of public toilets in Bristol: this contributed to the subsequent
decision to retain the public toilets.

SHINE
HIT Director Dr Adrian Davis is continuing to produce ‘essential evidence’
briefing papers relating to health and transport for Bristol City Council.