Three key components of public health are:

• Prevention: focuses on stopping diseases and health issues before they occur. This includes vaccination, health screening, health education, and promoting healthy behaviours.
• Protection: involves safeguarding populations from health threats like infectious diseases, environmental hazards, and unsafe products through regulations, surveillance, and emergency response.
• Promotion: encourages healthy lifestyles and wellbeing by addressing the wider determinants of health and improving access to services, nutrition, physical activity, and mental health support.

Public health operates through policies, research, community programmes, and services to create conditions where people can be healthy, delaying and reducing the need for clinical intervention and care.

Considering public health in town planning helps create spaces that support good health, and facilitates healthy independent living for longer. For example:

• Designing walkable streets, bike lanes, and accessible public outdoor spaces encourages physical activity, reducing risks of obesity, heart disease, and mental health issues.
• Planning that includes local shops with healthy food options, opportunities for growing food, healthcare facilities, schools, and social services helps sustainable neighbourhoods that meet basic needs and supports wellbeing.
• Safe, inclusive, and well-connected communities reduce isolation and stress while fostering a sense of belonging and safety.
• Good planning minimises exposure to air pollutants, noise, and hazardous materials. 

Public health and planning objectives are often mutual, with both seeking to improve urban environments and support healthier behaviours that will prevent, reduce and delay the need for clinical intervention and social care.

Further information

Contact Tara Barratt and Andrew Buroni