TRUUD

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

Our research

This consortium investigated 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 built on previous research funded under initiatives such as Wellcome’s Our Planet Our Health. The UKPRP funding increased 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. It was intended to target leverage points in the complex, urban planning and development system with economic valuation of health impacts. This was 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 considered case studies (on streets for all, clean air zone etc.) in these areas before co-producing other interventions that were informed by literature reviews and engagement with stakeholders and the lay public.

Recent outputs and impact

TRUUD has generated a range of outputs reflecting its systems-based approach to addressing the upstream drivers of unhealthy urban development. Resources available on the TRUUD consortium website include research papers, policy briefings, presentations and public engagement materials, alongside short videos about the Final Event Key Messages and Changing Decisions Upstream with TRUUD, as well as an impact report summarising key findings and activities across the programme.

A major outcome from the consortium is the development of the Health Appraisal of Urban Systems (HAUS) model, which has now been adopted within UK government appraisal guidance. Developed over a decade, including through the Wellcome-funded UPSTREAM pilot (2015–2019), the model supports the assessment of health impacts in urban development decision-making. TRUUD’s work has also been recognised through government and international case studies, including from the World Health Organization, demonstrating its contribution to policy and practice in the UK and beyond.

For further details see the TRUUD website.

Director

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.