We found that through the integrated planning of public health and the provision of sufficient green spaces, the quality of the environment, particularly in disadvantaged city areas, can be significantly improved. We also determined the city size that is best suited to cross-sectoral collaboration in the planning process.
For the attention of: City officers responsible for green spaces or health promotion, particularly in Asian countries; Developers and consultants seeking to create and manage green spaces.
The problem: In Japan, green spaces have priority due to their role in disaster prevention and promote health in an ageing society. However, creating green spaces can be challenging particularly in densely populated urban areas. But we ask, how can we promote to create and promote policies of green spaces? One of the ways forward must be better collaboration of green spaces and health promotion policies. This requires joint working with different sections within the city councils.
What we did and why: We sought to clarify green spaces creation and utilization approaches as they relate to policies for Healthy Cities by examining cities in Japan that have joined the Alliance for Healthy Cities. We reviewed policies for Green Structure Plans in coordination with Health Promotion Plans and policies for Healthy Cities in six Japanese cities, and assessed the role of policies for Healthy Cities in supporting and promoting green spaces and policies for planning green spaces in these cities.
What our study adds: We found that through the integrated planning of public health and the provision of sufficient green spaces, the quality of the environment (particularly in disadvantaged city areas) may create platforms for significant improvements. Looking at city size, in terms of population, we found an interesting interplay between strengths best suited to cross-sectoral collaboration for policy development/implementation and different size cities.
Implications for city policy and practice: Partnership working is suggested for cross-sectoral collaboration. This is especially needed for effective compiling of plans and policies; as well as undertaking projects in order to bring multi-faceted benefits in promoting health. The primary aim should be to begin providing a better environment as a public service; using integrated planning that incorporates both health and environmental considerations. However, different sized cities, can play to different strengths.
Full research article: Green space creation and utilization in coordination with policies for Healthy Cities in Japan by Tomoko Miyagawa, Noriko Otsuka and Hirokazu Abe
