The Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) and the CIP Healthy Communities Subcommittee released a new report entitled, Healthy Communities – Legislative Comparison Survey Report, designed to better understand the legislative and regulatory differences that affect planners across the country who are working to develop healthier communities.

The report was prepared by EcoPlan International Inc. for CIP under the Healthy Canada by Design CLASP Initiative with funding from the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer.  It provides innovative comparative information on how planners across Canada use CIP’s Healthy Communities Practice Guide, three fact sheets, and other healthy community resources in their practice, taking into account the major legislative differences in each province.  It also explores which departments and stakeholders are involved in promoting healthy communities, and what opportunities and obstacles planners face in the design of healthy communities. 

The report finds: “Some provinces take a more prescriptive approach to policy making around growth management and healthy built environments, while others maintain flexible legislative environments that allow for change, but are not explicitly helpful or supportive of building healthy communities.”

Ultimately the research illuminates significant ways that CIP and its affiliated planning institutes can continue to support planners and their counterparts in allied professions to foster good health through planning and community design.  The way forward for CIP and its partner organizations is rooted in action within the following four focus areas:

• Creating a better legislative enabling environment;
• Expanding access to research and best practice resources;
• Building linkages and networks; and
• Ongoing education and advocacy.

Results of the Legislative Comparison Survey will be featured as part of CIP’s flagship workshop – CIP’s National Planning and Health Agenda for Action – at the Canadian Institute of Planners | Atlantic Planners Institute conference, People Matter! in Fredericton, New Brunswick, July 9-12, 2014.

References:

• Canadian Institute of Planners & HBLanarc. Healthy Communities Practice Guide. March 2012. 70 pages
• Canadian Institute of Planners & EcoPlan International. Healthy Communities – Legislative Comparison Survey Report. December 2013. 79 pages

Prepared by George McKibbon, CIP Healthy Communities Subcommittee, Kim Perrotta, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, and Andrew Sacret, CIP Director of Policy & Public Affairs