About Us

Planning for Healthy Places is pioneering a new approach to public health advocacy.

Historically, there has been little interaction between public health officials (especially those dedicated to chronic disease prevention) and city and regional planning officials. We are working to change that.

Building basic knowledge and skills on land use among public health advocates, we work to engage advocates in the land-use and economic development decision-making process throughout California. Our hands-on training and consultation, coupled with entry-level training materials, walk users through the planning process and teach them--in very practical and real-politic ways--to engage in the process. We also organize and facilitate roundtable discussions with local health officers and local planning directors.

New Toolkit: Increasing Physical Activity Through Joint Use Agreements

PHLP’s joint use toolkit helps communities and school districts work together to develop joint use agreements increasing access to recreational facilities on school grounds.

New Report: Partners for Public Health

Partners for Public Health provides a broad overview of the many public agencies that make policy decisions affecting aspects of the built environment, and outlines the structure and decision-making process for each agency (at the local, regional, state, and federal level), pointing public health professionals toward opportunities for engagement.

Healthy Planning Policies: A Compendium from California General Plans

In the last few years, a new understanding of the built environment’s impact on health has brought the public health community and planners together to develop a variety of innovative land use policies that promote health.