FAQ
Can my community use this Web site, if we are not based in Minnesota?
Absolutely! While we were originally based in Minnesota, the resources are intentionally designed to accommodate communities elsewhere.
Do I need your permission to use your images?
Permissions are described on the image resources page and on the Flickr site–basically all noncommercial use (including use in newspapers, professional reports, and the like) is allowed with attribution.
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 Resource Library hosts a series of Image Resources 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 image includes information on how to credit the images.
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, operational Health Impact Assessment, and extensive lists of links to existing empirical and quantitative-based research studies.
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 the 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 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 Resource Library includes Key Questions 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 (HIA)?
An HIA identifies and evaluates the effects of policies, plans, programs, and designs on humans. 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 Health Impact Assessment.
What is different about Design for Health’s HIA series compared to other HIAs?
Our HIA series 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. The approaches are very similar, however.
Where can I find examples of how other communities are incorporating health and planning into their plans and plan implementation strategies?
The Resource 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.