Health in Comprehensive Plans
The comprehensive plan and the planning process can be used as tools for creating an environment that makes the healthy choice the easiest choice. A comprehensive plan is a guide for improving quality of life, promoting economic development, and creating livable spaces, all of which improve community health. The plan and the resulting regulatory changes, capital investments, and other implementation actions can set the foundation for land-use and development patterns that promote positive health outcomes and prevent chronic disease.
In 2010, the American Planning Association, with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, began a three-year study to assess the integration of public health into comprehensive plans and their development process.