HAUS is an economic valuation model that has been designed for use in urban planning in the UK.

The model was developed by staff in the Department of Economics as part of the Tackling Root Causes Upstream of Unhealthy Urban Development (TRUUD) research project.

The methodology has been tested with teams in local and national government. It is currently in development, and a final version is expected to be adopted by MHCLG later in the year.

How do we put health at the heart of urban decision making?

We know the environment around where we live can have a big impact on health, but it can be hard for us to anticipate the magnitude of effect for an individual site, or to compare lots of different health impacts across alternative options.

The HAUS model can help users understand the potential health and economic impacts of their plans for an area.

What HAUS does

HAUS helps decision-makers to quantify and value the health impacts of different characteristics of the urban environment around the home. It answers the question:

“If a change is made to an area where people live, what could be the impact on health and how can we value this?”

HAUS includes conditions within the home (such as cold or safety features) as well as those outside the home, such as the natural environment (including air pollution and green space), transport, socio-economic factors (such as crime or deprivation), climate change and community infrastructure (such as walkability and access to healthy food).

HAUS estimates the societal cost of illness, including mortality, non-communicable disease, mental illness, hospital or GP use and changes in activity. Findings should not be interpreted as a prediction, but can be used to support decision-making through illustrating the magnitude and direction of potential health changes, based on the assumptions and parameters entered into the model.

HAUS is a comparative risk assessment model, which means that it compares levels of risk to health between a baseline and at least one other scenario. It is based on reviews of the best available evidence and clearly defined assumptions. It is available as an Excel workbook.

Access the HAUS model

To request a downloadable copy of the HAUS Model, you must complete our form and agree to the terms and conditions of use. You will then receive an email with a copy of the model workbook and the user guide.

This will be a prototype version of the HAUS Model, as it is still under construction. We would love to hear your feedback.

To access the HAUS Model we will require you to share some personal information (including name, email address, and organisation). Find out more about how we will use this data and your rights.

About the team behind HAUS

The HAUS model was created by Dr Eleanor Eaton, Department of Economics at the University of Bath.

It was developed during the research project TRUUD – Tackling Root Causes Upstream of Unhealthy Urban Development (2019-2025).

Read more about the TRUUD project.

Funders statement

This work was supported by the UK Prevention Research Partnership, an initiative funded by UK Research and Innovation Councils, the Department of Health and Social Care (England) and the UK devolved administrations, and leading health research charities.

Acknowledgements

The HAUS model was created by Dr Eleanor Eaton (Department of Economics, University of Bath).

The model design and the collation and identification of the impact pathways was carried out by Dr Eaton, under the supervision of Dr Alistair Hunt (University of Bath), building on a series of systematic reviews of the literature on urban determinants of health conducted by Dr Janet Ige-Elegbede (University of the West of England (UWE)).

All other data in the model was collated by Dr Eaton, including reviews of economic valuation evidence and new primary evidence on unit costs of health. Its development is ongoing.