(a) Answering one of the nine essay questions below
Examine one of the following in relation to the United Kingdom or a planning context with which you are familiar.
1. Whilst the origins of modern-day urban planning can be traced back to public health concerns in the Victorian era, it is only relatively recently that planners have begun to reconsider the health-related impacts of their work. Discuss the reasons for this resurgence of interest in the links between planning and health and critically examine the key challenges to further embedding health concerns within planning practice.
2. To what extent has planning contributed to the creation of obesogenic environments? How can planners and urban designers better support people to lead more active lifestyles?
3. To what extent do planners and urban designers create urban environments that are suitable for everyone? How might we move towards more inclusive forms of planning and urban design? Feel free to discuss this in relation to a specific population sub-group.
4. Respiratory diseases that are linked to air pollution from vehicles and industrial sources have become one of the leading causes of premature mortality across the world. What can planners do to improve air quality in cities? Please discuss in relation to a city with which you are familiar.
5. How does housing impact upon people’s health and how can planners work to ensure that the positive and negative impacts are respectively maximised or minimised?
6. Much of the planning and health agenda is focused on physical health. But various aspects of urban life, in terms of, for example, noise, access to greenspace and fear of crime can all affect our mental health. How can planners and urban designers create happier cities?
7. To what extent can planners address inequalities in health? Discuss with reference to the social determinants of health and a city with which you are familiar.
8. The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted several issues in relation to housing, community, home-working, commuting, access to gardens and green-spaces and food security. What have been the most important lessons for planners in terms of creating healthier cities?
9. Critically discuss the strengths and weaknesses of using Health Impact Assessment to assess the potential health impacts of a proposed new development, plan or planning policy in the UK or elsewhere.
