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Equitable Urban Planning: Harnessing the Power of Comprehensive Plans

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Purpose of Review

Describe the role of comprehensive plans in promoting health equity in urban communities. Specifically, the review aims to identify recent findings related to using comprehensive plans to shape social determinants of health and to discuss the challenges that comprehensive plans face in promoting health equity. The review also presents recommendations for how urban planners, public health practitioners, and policymakers can work together to promote health equity through comprehensive planning efforts.

Recent Findings

The evidence highlights the importance of comprehensive plans in promoting health equity in communities. These plans can shape the social determinants of health, such as housing, transportation, and green space, which significantly impact health outcomes. However, comprehensive plans face challenges related to the lack of data and understanding of the social determinants of health and the need for collaboration between multiple sectors and community groups.

Summary

To effectively promote health equity through comprehensive plans, a standardized framework that incorporates health equity considerations is needed. This framework should include common goals and objectives, guidance on assessing potential impacts, performance metrics, and community engagement strategies. Urban planners and local authorities play a critical role in developing clear guidelines for integrating health equity considerations into planning efforts. Harmonizing comprehensive plan requirements across the USA are also essential to ensure equitable access to opportunities for health and well-being.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Environmental Health Building, 1601 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA

    David Rojas-Rueda

  2. Logan Simpson, 213 Linden Street, Fort Collins, CO, 80524, USA

    Emily Morales-Zamora

Authors
  1. David Rojas-Rueda
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  2. Emily Morales-Zamora
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Contributions

David Rojas-Rueda: conceptualization, data curation, formal analysis, investigation, methodology, visualization, and writing—original draft. Emily Morales-Zamora: conceptualization, investigation, visualization, and writing—review and editing.

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Correspondence to David Rojas-Rueda.

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Rojas-Rueda, D., Morales-Zamora, E. Equitable Urban Planning: Harnessing the Power of Comprehensive Plans. Curr Envir Health Rpt 10, 125–136 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40572-023-00399-3

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