Plan for a healthier core spatial planning in the Merode area
Abstract
It is widely acknowledged that the living environment is an important determinant of human health. Historically, planning and health professionals collaborated to foster healthy environments, however, the integration of both disciplines has disappeared over time with the decrease in infectious diseases and the commercialization of medicine. The Flemish region in Belgium is both challenged by high healthcare costs stemming from the domination of curative medicine and increasing pressure on the non-built environments due to urban sprawl and urbanization. These two challenges formed the basis of the project, called Kerngezond, in which a participatory and transdisciplinary process resulted in the development of a dialogue instrument on Healthy Peri-Urban Planning. The instrument aimed to foster the dialogue between environmental and health actors in the planning of healthy environments in the peri-urban context of the Province of Antwerp. Throughout the study process, the instrument was conceptualized together with environmental and health professionals acting at different scales, then applied in the planning of three local case studies, and eventually evaluated on its practical use. From this project we learned that the creation of a common language between health and environmental actors on a complex theme, allowed both disciplines to exchange and integrate knowledge and expertise in the development of healthy peri-urban environments. With the presentation of the dialogue instrument and the description of the study process, we hope to inspire future transdisciplinary projects on healthy spatial planning.
Researcher(s)
- Promoter: Keune Hans
Research team(s)
Project website
Project type(s)
- Research Project