New framework redefines ‘healthy’ urban development

The new THRIVES framework raises the importance of environmental degradation and structural barriers to health in urban policy and development.

THRIVES stands for ‘Towards Healthy uRbanism: InclusiVe Equitable Sustainable’.

The research is published in two articles in Cities & Health. THRIVES builds on theory and new research, and it was tested in a participatory workshop with built environment and health practitioners.

Helen Pineo, Lecturer in Sustainable and Healthy Built Environments at IEDE and author of the THRIVES framework says:

The framework was informed by Dr Pineo’s research with Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity in South London. CEO of the charity, Kieron Boyle says:

THRIVES refocuses attention towards:

• awareness that health impacts often occur far away from new development or many years after construction, requiring design teams to think of impact beyond property boundaries;
• structural barriers to health that are caused by urban design processes and outcomes that exclude groups in society, including: low income, children, women, disabled, elderly and ethnic minorities;
• the urgency of environmental degradation that is caused by urban environments, affecting health through many pathways including extreme weather.

Community representatives and practitioners working in urban policy, design, property development, and public health can use THRIVES to reach shared understanding and inform decisions. More information is available at www.healthyurbanism.net.

Helen Pineo and Gemma Moore (a collaborator in developing THRIVES) were awarded funding from the Bartlett Innovation Fund to co-develop online training. This is being done in partnership with an advisory group including representatives from Public Health England, Faculty of Public Health, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity, London Healthy Place Network, Royal Institution for Chartered Surveyors, Royal Town Planning Institute, Town & Country Planning Association and other organisations.

The THRIVES framework forms part of the curriculum for the IEDE MSc in Health, Wellbeing and Sustainable Buildings. Applications are open for study on our programme in 2020-21.

References

Pineo, H., 2020. Towards healthy urbanism: inclusive, equitable and sustainable (THRIVES) – an urban design and planning framework from theory to praxis. Cities & Health 0, 1–19. https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10103902/

Pineo, H., Moore, G., Braithwaite, I., 2020. Incorporating practitioner knowledge to test and improve a new conceptual framework for healthy urban design and planning. Cities & Health 0, 1–16. https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10103903/

Funding information:

• This research was supported by funding from Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity and the Complex Urban Systems for Sustainability and Health project (Wellcome Trust grant 209387/Z/17/Z).
• Read the paper ‘Towards healthy urbanism: inclusive, equitable and sustainable (THRIVES) – an urban design and planning framework from theory to praxis’
• Read the paper ‘Incorporating practitioner knowledge to test and improve a new conceptual framework for healthy urban design and planning’

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