Bath academics have contributed to new UK Government guidelines that emphasise the importance of public health for decisions about urban development.

Researchers from the Institute for Policy Research and Department of Economics have been collaborating with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) on a two-year programme of work to put public health at the heart of urban development funding and policy decisions.

As part of the ‘Tackling the Root causes Upstream of Unhealthy Urban Development’ (TRUUD) project, they have developed a version of the Health Appraisal of Urban Systems (HAUS) model to help decision makers assess and value the health impacts of improving the urban environment. In partnership with the University of Bristol, they have been working to integrate HAUS into government guidance.

The HAUS model has now been published in the latest version of MHCLG’s Appraisal Guide. The guide is used by decision-makers to assess the value for money of MHCLG and partner organisation interventions when making choices about urban development. Through this work, for the first time the guide will now promote methods to value potential health impacts of urban interventions for a specific population.

This means that health impacts will be a key consideration in funding decisions at a crucial time as the government progresses its new towns programme and seeks to deliver its target of 1.5 million new homes.

Dr Geoff Bates from the University of Bath's IPR and Professor Sarah Ayres (University of Bristol), from the TRUUD research team, said: “Decision makers now have a tool that enables them to think about health outcomes in urban development decision-making before it’s too late. This has the potential to influence billions of pounds of public investment on urban development and ultimately improve public health and wellbeing. Our collaboration with MHCLG is an excellent example of what can be achieved through committed and authentic co-production between government and the research community.”

Dr Eleanor Eaton and Dr Alistair Hunt (University of Bath), economists who developed the HAUS model, said: “We are delighted that the HAUS model has been endorsed in the MHCLG Appraisal Guide. Working closely with MHCLG and stakeholders at national and local levels has been a welcome opportunity, which has enabled us to develop and test a robust tool that helps decision-makers across the UK’s planning system understand, measure and value how places can shape people’s health.”

Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government) said: “I welcome the updated MHCLG Appraisal Guide. By bringing robust tools to quantify the health impacts of urban design – from housing quality and community infrastructure to transport and access to green space – this guidance will help local partners deliver better outcomes for people while easing pressure on health services. It also showcases effective collaboration between government and academia.”

Stephen Aldridge (MHCLG Chief Analyst) said: “I am very pleased to recommend the use of this Guide as a means of helping to deliver better evidence-based policymaking across the range of housing, community and local government interventions. The work done with TRUUD on the health impacts of urban interventions is pathbreaking and I am particularly pleased that the World Health Organization has used it as a case study for its “Taking a Strategic Approach to Urban Health” publication.”

TRUUD is a six-year, £6.7 million research project that aims to design policy interventions to support the development of healthier urban environments. Our research seeks to promote a fundamental shift in thinking about how to prioritise healthy urban development. We are funded by the UK Prevention Research Partnership.

This work is being carried out by the Dr Geoff Bates, Dr Eleanor Eaton, Dr Alistair Hunt and Professor Sarah Ayres in collaboration with MHCLG analysts. The Health Appraisal of Urban Systems (HAUS) model is free to download and use.