The May dates are now gone. Contact us for June dates, TBC.

Resolving The Uncertainty of Localism: Happiness Policies, Local Authority Public Health Reform and The Built Environment.

Tackling Health Inequalities: A series of evidence based seminars to help people in the property industry, public health, local authorities and wider interested groups understand the impact of the new government approach that will link happiness policies, sustainability, public health reform and the built environment.

The opportunities and challenges for everyone working in the built environment. 

Half-day seminar (2pm - 5pm) outline and key topics:

Background

The UK is a world leader in public health and the extensive evidence, based on decades of research, is that where you live affects your life expectancy and your disability free life expectancy.

Two of the six public health policy recommendations to government from the research teams are:

1. Ensure healthy standard of living for all
2. Create and develop healthy and sustainable places and communities

The government is currently coordinating a series of new policies and legislation aimed at tackling health inequalities, improving societal well-being and making local authorities more accountable for regional issues that impact on health, such as urban design and neighbourhood planning.

Who should attend?

Anyone involved in property or the built environment, in particular:

• Architects
• Surveyors
• Planners
• Developers
• Affordable housing
• Contractors
• Estates & management
• Urban design and regeneration
• Public Health professionals
• Public and private sectors

Please contact us for in-house training for groups of 10 or more, group discounts of 3 or more and invoice enquiries from public organisations and clients.

Local authorities, not-for-profit groups and those in the public sector can get a 20% discount using code LA052011 during booking

Students & those training for professional qualifications get 20% discount using code ST052011

5 reasons why you should attend?

• Evidence based seminars with practical case study examples
• Opportunity to network with people from different sectors and from public and private backgrounds
• Get a head start on the new policies and coordinated legislation, to prepare yourself and your organisation for the likely changes in approach to procurement, planning, building design and community engagement
• Discover how sustainability can be delivered through simple and cost effective innovations and strategies linked to better health outcomes
• Gain an understanding of the strategies that can be used to overcome some of the challenges, that can also help you benefit from the opportunities of change

Sample of the research reviewed:

• Introductory overview to the decades of research on health inequality
  • Why does where you live affect life expectancy?
  • What constitutes a healthy or unhealthy neighbourhood?
• Well-being and happiness politics: have governments gone mad, or is there substance to the research?
• The government's new focus on well-being policy to save money and lives and the science behind happiness research
• Health inequalities, public health and the built environment - how the issues affect everyone in the property industry

1. Research: the impact of aspiration on the built environment
2. Research: places where time stops
3. Case study: natural experiment – how and why did moving hundreds to new neighbourhoods improve health and reduce obesity?
4. Case study: Learned helplessness of cities and neighbourhoods
5. Case study: A Crete tragedy
6. Evidence: The link between obesity, addiction, depression, the work place and the built environment

Impact of health on central and local government policies:

• The future focus on well-being policy to evaluate local and national public projects
• Central and local government priorities on reducing the costs of health & care through prevention
• Where the Localism Bill meets NHS reform and the new Public Health England body

Threats and Challenges:

• The future of health inequality priorities on local government attitudes to the built environment
• Local council responsibility on public health – upsetting the status quo on housing & urban design
• The potential impact of local authority control over public health on future planning policies
• What constitutes a healthy urban development or neighbourhood?
• Who pays for the increased focus on public transport, green spaces, crime and reduced carbon omissions
• The potential role of health and well-being impact assessments after the ONS 'Happiness' index is introduced
• Understanding ineffective or unnecessary public health and planning interventions or restrictions
• Private & public sectors working together. What are the drivers for change and getting everyone onboard?

The Opportunities:

Sustainability

• Mutually beneficial - how public health research can help the sustainability of projects and vice-versa
• Understanding public health to devise inexpensive ways to improve the sustainability credentials of projects
• Features of cities and neighbourhoods that are modifiable to allow interventions that improve health & happiness

Favourable Community and Planning Engagement

• Using community engagement and neighbourhood hand-holding led design to improve quality, value, acceptance and desirability
• Assessing pre-planning submissions
• Utilising local council duties to cooperate
• How developers, housing associations, building contractors, suppliers, consultants and design teams can contribute and benefit from better public health policies
• Preparing policy statements for CSR and tendering for future public projects
• Understanding the nuance of community health to tailor a targeted approach
• Creating integrated and differentiated approaches that work best for each neighbourhood plan
• Helping local authorities lead the way and meeting their electoral responsibilities to improve public health objectives

Reduced Costs

• Quick wins for retrofitting commercial buildings for improved health and sustainability
• The life cycle cost of life and improving the return on investment
• Getting straight to the heart of the key issues and saving on wasted time
• Developments with nudge - design choices that improve public health and overall investment returns
• Differentiating procurement bids while reducing time and costs through evidenced based approaches to public health

Evidence & Resources

The seminars are based on evidence, the latest research or theory and professional opinions. As part of the seminar pack, attendees will be provided with:

• Referenced seminar slides
• Summary or outline information on key reports and studies
• Annotated list of key references or the original research, subject to copyright restrictions
• Key reports, subject to copyright restrictions
• Book recommendations for further research on specific issues
• Legislation, House of Commons Bills and white papers - references or copies
• Expert video guides on several key background principles that impact on the issues addressed