“At the end of the day, it is Council’s decision”: Integration of health and equity into urban design and urban planning decisions and policies in Regina Saskatchewan

Abstract

AbstractWhile there is a wealth of literature on the impact of urban design on health, our understanding of the factors that influence integration of health into urban design is limited. With the growing recognition of cities playing a leading role in enhancing health equity and population health outcomes, there is a need to examine the perspectives and experiences of municipal actors around health and equity. To address this gap, we interviewed 30 stakeholders engaged with urban design policy- and decision-making at the City of Regina in Saskatchewan, Canada. We found a lack of shared understanding of health among municipal actors. Our findings identified a number of factors that serve as facilitators and barriers to integrating health and equity in urban design policies. Findings from this case study deepen our understanding of these factors and provide recommendations for developing healthy urban design policies. Our findings underscore the importance of adopting an integrated and holistic approach for healthy and equitable urban design. As urbanisation continues to bring a greater share of the world’s population into urban areas, it is imperative that we deepen our understanding of how municipal governance can be leveraged to create environments that are conducive to the wellbeing of their residents.