Frequently Asked Questions

Access to open space is often considered an important aspect to supporting human health; however, what measurement tools are available to measure access?

The Metropolitan Design Center worked with the Trust for Public Land to produce a series of maps for the Twin Cities particularly for disadvantaged groups. You can access these maps at http://www.designcenter.umn.edu/projects/direct_design_asst/
2004/trustPublicLand.htm

Are the events free and open to the public?

The workshops and plan feedback are free and open to staff of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota community funding recipients. These municipalities received funding to address public health issues in their comprehensive plans and ordinances. There may be limited space for others interested in attending the workshop portion of the events to learn more about these health and urban design topics. Contact us to inquire about space availability.

Are the presentations from the event series available to the public?

You can access the presentations by clicking on the specific event. Some of the slide presentations are shortened versions due to size limitations.

Can I download the images on your site?

Medium resolution and high resolution images can be downloaded for free from the image bank. See the downloading instructions for more information.

Can I get continued education credits for attending your events?

It is possible to obtain continuing education credits by self-report.

Can my community use this web site if we are not based in Minnesota ?

Absolutely! While we are based in Minnesota, the resources are intentionally designed to accommodate communities nation-wide.

Do I need your permission to use your images?

The Metropolitan Design Center welcomes use of images and grants limited permission for their use without request; except for publications with circulation over 1,000 copies, publications that include over six images, and uses where royalties are received, and for such uses, we ask that our office be contacted for permission terms. In general, we will gladly grant it.

Common uses include; PowerPoint presentations, conferences, student projects, installations, brochures, web sites, and publications.

As we always grant permission to newspapers using the images, there is no need to ask permission, but please send us a copy.

Do you have any images that showcase some of the planning themes related to human health like farmers markets, shared streets, or pedestrian and bicycle facilities?

The technical assistance library hosts a series of images slide shows and the overarching topics include people on bicycles, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, streets, environment and food, pedestrians, transit, social interaction, and active play and exercise. Each slide includes information on how to credit the images.

How do I credit your images?

All uses must include a credit placed on the same page as the image. For images with a Design Center copyright use: “© Regents of the University of Minnesota. Used with permission" For images in the Special Collections whose copyright is held by others use: "©[name of copyright holder]. Used with permission.” When images are used in digital presentations, such as PowerPoint, this credit must appear on the same slide as the image. For all use as part of printed materials, the Design Center requests two copies of any materials thus produced. For all non-printed uses, please e-mail the Design Center imgbank@umn.edu to inform us of the use.

On all of the downloadable images, there is a reminder to use the credit line and it is easily cropped using Photoshop, or any other image editing software you prefer.

How is this project different than other health-based and active living sites?

We are grateful that there are other teams and sites out there who are interested in helping cities become healthier places for everyone. Specifically, our site is intended to be used as a technical resource for comprehensive planning in relation to many elements associated with healthy living (air quality, mental health, physical activity, water quality, social capital, public safety, etc). We offer a web-based library of model ordinances, comprehensive planning language, an operational Health Impact Assessment, and an extensive list of links to existing empirical and quantitative-based research studies. Please check out our technical assistance resources.

The planning information sheets series is divided into health categories and not planning categories. How do I find information about such topics as mixed use, parks, farmers markets, or pedestrian and bike plans?

A list of planning concepts and tools can be found at the bottom of page on planning information sheets. It is not an exhaustive list; however, it includes many of the more popular planning themes.

There is an overwhelming amount of research that explores the relationship between the planning and human health. Often, this research is difficult to interpret in terms of what's good and what's bad, can you help?

The technical assistance library includes Key Question Research Summaries. These digestible summaries quickly describe what research says and doesn't say about specific health topics like accessibility, air quality, environment and housing, food access, mental health, physical activity, safety, social capital, and water quality.

What is a health impact assessment?

An HIA identifies and evaluates the effects of policies, plans, programs, and designs on a human. It comes in a variety of forms from awareness-raising rapid assessment methods to more data-intensive approaches. The DFH team has developed three different types of HIAs that target planners. More information is available at http://www.designforhealth.net/techassistance/healthimpact.html.

What is different about Design for Health's HIA series compared other HIAs?

Our HIA series specifically targets planners by focusing specifically on health issues related to urban and comprehensive planning and plan implementation.

What is the difference between designing healthy cities and designing for sustainability?

A focus on health means a focus on people. Design for sustainability frequently focuses on design with nature. However, the approaches are very similar.

Where can I find examples of how other communities are incorporating health and planning into their plans and plan implementation strategies?

The technical assistance library includes planning information sheets and case studies. Each series provides numerous examples that your community can use when considering how human health relates to planning processes.


Design for Health is a collaboration between the University of Minnesota, Cornell University, and the University of Colorado.
Email: info@designforhealth.net