Tackling the Root Causes Upstream of Unhealthy Urban Development Decision-making
UKPRP award £6.6 million for 5 years, with additional in-kind investment from the consortium’s partners
This consortium will investigate urban planning and development systems with a view to embedding the prevention of risk factors that give rise to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and health inequalities in decision-making on planning.
Matthew Hickman
Professor in Public Health and Epidemiology
Matt Hickman is Head of Population Health Sciences and Deputy Head of Bristol Medical School at University of Bristol. He is Professor in Public Health and Epidemiology, a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Senior Investigator, and Honorary Public Health Consultant at Bristol City Council and Public Health England. He is the Director of NIHR Health Protection Research Unit on Evaluation of Interventions, and member of NIHR School of Public Health Research.
Our research
This consortium will investigate urban planning and development systems with a view to embedding the prevention of risk factors that give rise to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and health inequalities in decision-making on planning. The work will build on previous research funded under initiatives such as Wellcome’s Our Planet Our Health. The UKPRP funding will now increase understanding of the barriers and opportunities to creating healthy urban environments by focusing on the actors who influence it – landowners, developers, investors, local and devolved government, communities, etc. – and the systems of governance relating to decision-making about the urban environment. The intention is to target leverage points in the complex, urban planning and development system with economic valuation of health impacts. This will be achieved by examining the systems in two major UK cities by partnering with Bristol City Council and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. The consortium will consider case studies (on streets for all, clean air zone etc.) in these areas before co-producing other interventions that will be informed by literature reviews and engagement with stakeholders and the lay public.
On 25 September 2019 the UK Prevention Research Partnership (UKPRP) held a kick off meeting with the award holders from the first funding round. Download the slides presented by TRUUD (PPT, 31MB).
Consortium members
The consortium’s membership includes:
- A range of academic disciplines, such as urban planning and development, corporate governance, law, economics and public health.
- Bristol City Council and Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
- Other key users such as the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Bristol Health Partners, and the Royal Town Planning Institute amongst others.
For further details see the TRUUD website.
Cecilia Wong
Professor of Spatial Planning and Director of the Spatial Policy and Analysis Lab
Arpana Verma
Professor of Public Health and Epidemiology, Head of the Division of Population Health, Health Services Research and Primary Care
Nick Pearce
Director of the Institute for Policy Research (IPR) and Professor of Public Policy
Ben Hicks
Professor in Mechanical Engineering, Head of Engineering Systems and Design, Director Strategic Alliances
Krista Bondy
Associate Professor of Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management
Rona Campbell
Professor of Public Health Research, NIHR Senior Investigator, NIHR School for Public Health Research (Deputy Director and Bristol lead)
Paddy Ireland
Professor of Law and Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Law
