Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1200837
16.01.2020 16 TOWNSCAPES Healthy Cities: from planning THE Planning Authority is participating in an EU-fund- ed project bearing the title Healthy Cities: from Plan- ning to Action. This project was submitted under the UR- BACT strand of the Europe- an Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and consists of Phase I, termed as the Action Planning Network. This col- laboration with nine other entities across Europe will result in the submission of an application for a Phase II URBACT proposal, with the same theme. The main objectives to this network of cities consist of deepening the relationship between health and the ur- ban environment; develop- ing policies that focus on the improvement of the health status of the population; as well as developing a rigorous health impact assessment of these policies. Cities may consider actions from different points of view and through different pol- icies, but the global health perspective will provide a common framework and will allow sharing methodologies. Promoting health requires a cross-sectional, cross-secto- rial policy approach, beyond the assistance of health sys- tems. Health, encompassing physical, social and envi- ronmental health, should be a transversal objective and a common thread of all city policies, and all local policies should be refocused on their effect on the citizens' health. This means that the air qual- ity, green areas, physical ac- tivity, noise, social relations, are all factors to be taken into account when planning the development of the cities we want. At the same time, health and wellbeing should also be seen as an independent var- iable for city development: good health gives us the free- dom to live a better quality of life, while illness and poor health limit our possibilities. This makes health an im- portant resource to promote opportunities, social equity and liveability, economic re- silience and environmental and social sustainability of cities. Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all people of all ages, there- fore, become an essential re- source to achieve sustainable development, healthy econ- omies and for building pros- perous societies. Beyond the logical conclu- sion that people live in cities because of the employment and educational opportuni- ties, the services, social inter- action and cultural activities they offer, this project is built on the assumption that cities can also become places that foster health and wellbeing. While the impact of healthy lifestyles seems obvious, it is a challenge to clearly quantify it. Here, "HEALTHY CITIES" intends to develop, exchange and test knowledge on meth- odologies for Health Impact Assessment (HIA) and the definition of monitoring in- dicators are called upon to become a key element in the planning of our cities. These problems are particularly rel- evant to Europe where it is expected that the urban pop- ulation will be 80% by 2050. Urban planning is a key el- Promoting health requires a cross-sectional, cross- sectorial policy approach, beyond the assistance of health systems