Healthy Food and Built Environment Source Library

Rationale

• Access to clean water and fresh, nutritious, affordable food is a basic requirement for health.
• Over-consumption of unhealthy food is detrimental to health.
• Preserving food growing areas helps guarantee food supplies.
• Local food production can improve access to affordable fresh food.

• Promote access to:
  • Healthy food displays encourage healthier choices.
  • Public transport can improve access to healthy food.
  • Drinking water fountains in public places support healthy choices.
• Space for breastfeeding mothers can benefit infants.
• Discourage over-consumption of unhealthy food and drink including alcohol.
• Preserve food growing (agricultural) areas.
  • Green infrastructure and urban agriculture add to the food network.
• Support local food production.
  • Home and community gardening improves health and wellbeing.
  • Growers’ markets and mobile shops help support local food production.

Sources

Nutrition and dietary requirements

• Australian Dietary Guidelines (2013).
• Healthy Food and Drink in NSW Health Facilities for Staff and Visitors Framework, NSW Health (2017).

Availability and access to healthy food

• NSW Healthy Eating and Active Living Strategy: Preventing overweight and obesity in New South Wales, NSW Health (2022).
• National Monitoring in Public Health Nutrition, Australian Government, Department of Health, and Aged Care.
• A picture of overweight and obesity in Australia, AIHW (2017).

Food security

• Foodbank Hunger Report, Food Bank Public Health Association of Australia (2023).
• Household Food and Nutrition Security: Policy Position Statement. (2019, updated 2022).
• NSW Parliament Legislative Assembly Committee on Environment and Planning. Food production and supply in NSW (2021).
• Australian Food Story: Feeding the Nation and Beyond, Parliament of Australia (aph.gov.au) (Dec 2023).

Land use planning and healthy eating

• Agriculture and Land Use Planning and Land Use Conflict Risk Assessment Guide (2011).

Rationale

• Children and adults need regular physical activity.
• Sedentary behaviour is a growing public health concern.
• Active transport can promote health.
• Access to quality open spaces promotes physical health.

• Encourage physical activity.
  • Shorter walking distances and design features can promote physical activity.
  • Carefully sited public transport hubs boost incidental physical activity.
• Promote opportunities for walking, cycling and other forms of active transport.
  • Active transport options increase physical activity and reduce health costs.
  • Higher density neighbourhoods encourage walking.
  • Design, maintenance, and perceived safety can encourage walking.
  • Good design encourages people to walk and cycle.
  • Children using active transport to get to school are healthier.
• Promote access to quality open spaces, including green space and recreational facilities.
  • Parks and green spaces can have positive health effects.
  • Park design can encourage park use.
  • Streets can provide local public spaces for active play.

Sources

Physical activity

• Blueprint for an Active Australia, Heart Foundation (2019).
• Global action plan on physical activity 2018–2030: more active people for a healthier world, World Health Organisation (2018).
• Finish with the Right Stuff Report, NSW Health (2020).

Liveable neighbourhoods

• Make way for walking and cycling: PATH partnership and headline report, Partnership for Active Travel and Health (2023).
• Open space design guidelines, UrbanGrowth NSW/Landcom.
• Sydney’s Walking Future – Connecting people and places and Sydney’s Cycling Future – Cycling for everyday transport, Transport for NSW (2013).
• Everyone Can Play, Office of Open Space and Parklands. 
• Creating healthy liveable neighbourhoods, The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre (2017).

Rationale

Recommendations

Sources

• Dwelling diversity is important for meeting different needs.
• Unaffordable housing creates a set of interconnected problems.
   

• Housing supports human and environmental health.
  • Poor housing can significantly affect public health.
  • Well-designed and built housing and health hardware supports healthy living.
  • Household crowding is a risk to health.
  • Density, design features and active infrastructure are important for health.
  • Private open space can improve physical health.
• A range of housing types support family lifecycles.
• Affordable housing
  • Affordable, secure housing encourages healthier, more diverse communities.
  • Home ownership may have psycho-social benefits.
• Housing that is adaptable and accessible
  • Many older people want to age in place.
  • People with disability are more likely to have housing stress.

Indicators and data:

• Housing Indicators: Australian Urban Observatory (AUO

• Housing .id – Local Councils

High density:

• Healthy High Density Living for Kids, Western Sydney Local Health District contact Helen Ryan.

• Healthy Higher Density Living for Families with Children: Stakeholder Engagement Report

Affordable housing:

• About Affordable Housing, NSW Department of Family and Community Services.
• Building Sustainability Index (BASIX), NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.
• Regional Housing Development Program, Department of Planning

Aboriginal:

• NSW Aboriginal Housing Office See aho.nsw.gov.a
• National Indigenous Housing Guide: improving the living environment for safety, health and sustainability, Department of Social Services. See dss.gov.au

Seniors and Disability:

• Housing for seniors or people with a disability, (State Environmental Planning Policy 2004), NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment. See planning.nsw.gov.au
• Resources on urban planning and built environment, Shelter NSW. See shelternsw.org.au
• WHO Housing and Health Guidelines, World Health Organization. See who.int
• Your Home – the liveable and adaptable house, Australian Government. See yourhome.gov.au/housing.
• NSW Housing Crisis article in City Futures at UNSW Newsletter https://blogs.unsw.edu.au/cityfutures/blog/2023/03/the-housing-and-homelessness-crisis-in-nsw-explained-in-9-charts/
• Healthy Higher Density Living for Families with Children: Stakeholder Engagement Report