Healthy Built Environment

Green spaces often refers to land that has vegetation, natural elements, is available to the public and can include parks, gardens, forests, trails where there’s vegetation such as grass, trees and plants. In urban environments this may include streetscapes and green roofs.

The health of the natural environment is linked to human health.

Trees, plants and green spaces remove air pollution from the environment; they provide shade and cool and improve air and water quality.

Communities that support walking and have accessible community spaces (parks, trails, etc.) increase levels of physical activity and promote social connection.

Spending time being active in nature can improve concentration and memory, reduce anxiety, and promote mental health. It can reduce the risk of chronic diseases including diabetes and heart disease.  

Green spaces contribute to healthier environments by improving air and water quality, reducing flood risks, providing natural shade and cooling our communities, and helping to address climate change. 

York Region is involved in a number of initiatives such as:

• Advocating for greening policies and making green infrastructure a priority for climate change mitigation and adaptation planning. This includes supporting local organizations in greening initiatives such as green roofs and community gardens.
• Implementing and supporting natural heritage studies and urban forest management plans.
• Providing opportunities for local residents to be active in parks and forests and promoting the use and expansion of trails across York Region.

Tap into the benefits of green spaces and the natural environment by taking a walk outdoors and visiting a nearby park, trail, forest or garden. York Region has more than 50 trails for you to explore.

Other activities include:

• Sign up for a York Regional forest event, tree planting, or visit a local farmers market in your community.
• Choose active modes of travel for work, school, or errands. When possible use a local trail.
• Reduce the demand for heating and cooling your home by incorporating shade trees, green roofs or other green infrastructure as part of your home energy management plan.
• Plant native trees and plants on your property. Visit yourleaf.org to learn about a subsidized backyard tree planting program.

• York Regional Forest
• Green Space and Health Fact Sheet

A built environment with a local sustainable food system is one that: 

• Supports food for all and promotes food-friendly neighborhoods – equitable and easy access to affordable food in communities such as from grocery stores, farmers markets and urban gardening venues.
• Promotes nutrition, healthy aging and disease prevention. 
• Ensures green space for growing food and supports the local food economy.
• Supports practices to promote planetary health – e.g., eating more plant-based foods, composting and reducing waste.
• Empowers people with food literacy. 
• Encourages an appreciation of food and where it comes from.
• Includes urban agriculture opportunities such as backyard, community and school gardens, and green roof projects.
• Values local food and recognize the importance of agricultural land, and the need to preserve and protect farming land, water and other resources.

Our food system, which includes the way food is grown, processed, transported, marketed, consumed, and wasted, needs to be enhanced. 

Unhealthy foods are available everywhere: in stores and community settings (e.g., workplaces, recreation facilities, schools) resulting in unsupportive environments. 

Some people have challenges accessing grocery stores (e.g., no stores in their community, lack of transportation, mobility issues), making it difficult to support healthy eating.

Canadian diets are generally low in vegetables and fruit and high in saturated fat, salt and sugar, increasing the risk for chronic disease (e.g., heart disease and some cancers). 

Poor food literacy, including a lack of knowledge and skills to plan, purchase and prepare foods and healthy meals, may be contributing to poor diets.

Food waste not only costs Canadian consumers approximately $1,500 per year but contributes the equivalent of over 55 million tons of carbon emissions annually.

A built environment that supports a sustainable, local food system will allow residents to make healthy choices for physical, mental and planetary health.

Improving the food environment can improve nutrition. The local food environment can be improved by increasing the number and quality of food retailers and restaurants in underserved areas. Food policy can improve nutrition by reducing or removing high-fat and high-sugar foods in institutional settings such as schools. Local growing and selling of culturally appropriate foods, such as ethno-cultural vegetables, contributes to healthy diets among immigrant populations.

Communities designed with food access in mind can result in improved food security for everyone.

Access to safe, dependable, affordable and healthy food along with a sustainable food system, improves the physical and mental health of an individual and the well-being of the community. 

Everyone should have equitable access to healthy, and culturally appropriate food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences. The way our communities are planned and designed can impact food access and availability and influence health outcomes.

Dietitians and Regional staff work to support a healthy local sustainable food system by promoting:

• Safe, affordable, equitable access to culturally appropriate, healthy, sustainable food.
• Supportive environments (e.g., workplaces, parks and recreation, green space, farmers markets) to ensure healthy foods are available.
• Food-related activities (e.g., tips to reduce food waste and animal protein consumption) to mitigate and adapt to climate change. 
• A strong, local, and sustainable agriculture and agri-food sector to strengthen the local economy and food literacy.
• Opportunities to learn about food literacy to empower residents of all ages to make sustainable healthy food choices for physical, mental and planetary health.

Ask grocery stores, restaurants and other publicly operated organizations to provide affordable local, healthy food options.

You can gradually shift your eating habits to include more plant-based sustainable foods to improve your physical health and planetary health. A sustainable diet: 

• Includes more plant-based foods.
• Limits the amount of ultra-processed foods consumed.
• Creates little waste.
• Includes growing your own food, when possible.
• Includes tap water as the drink of choice.

When possible, purchase local food to support the local food system and climate change mitigation, contribute to the local economy, and increase your community connections.

You can also participate in community, roof top or other shared gardens to make your community more self-sufficient, beautiful and friendly. Additionally:

• Learn more about community food programs and services available in your area.
• Learn more about your municipality’s official plan and how this plan can be used to promote access to healthy food.

• Food Access and Food Insecurity

A well-designed sustainable transportation network is safe, accessible, attractive and prioritizes active transportation options like walking, cycling, and using public transportation. 

People who use sustainable transportation – whether public transit, walking, cycling, or a combination – have lowered risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory disease and mental health concerns and are on average healthier when compared to those who rely completely on a personal vehicle. Among commuters, car users may face the highest health risks.

A daily round trip of as little as 30 kilometers has been linked to greater likelihood of being overweight, inadequate physical activity and feeling stressed. There are also emerging concerns of a higher risk of dementia linked to both inactivity and exposure to traffic-related air pollution from long commutes. York Region residents made 2.1 million trips daily in 2016, and 78 per cent of these were by automobile.

Road design has an impact on how we move around. It influences if, and when people cycle, walk or drive and how safe they are when they take part in these activities.  

Since active transportation is more affordable than car ownership, communities also experience improved equity and access to services such as healthcare, education, and employment opportunities (Healthy Built Environment Linkages, 2018). 

A transportation network that promotes active and non-motorized transport for commuting and daily activities creates more accessible, sustainable, equitable, inclusive and healthy communities.

Prioritizing the supply of dedicated cycling and walking infrastructure can help create safe environments for persons of all ages by decreasing the number of vehicles and reducing the risk of collision (BE&H Action Plan pg. 26).

Increased rates of vehicle use can contribute to decreased physical activity, higher rates of childhood obesity and increased traffic related air pollution. When physical activity is integrated into daily commuting, residents are more likely to experience improved health, better physical and mental well-being, and a greater sense of connectedness to their community. 

With less vehicles on the road, our environment also experiences positive benefits like lower greenhouse gas emissions, and reduced traffic related air pollution. 

York Region is enhancing active transportation and rapid transit infrastructure through the Transportation Master Plan and Lake to Lake Cycling Route.

York Region and partners are supporting cyclists by building and funding bike lanes, multi-use paths and trails, while also delivering campaigns and programs to promote education and safety.

Get to know your local community. Take transit, carpool, car share, cycle, or walk more often. Choose an active option especially for shorter trips.

The journey to and from school is a great opportunity to use active transportation. Active school travel contributes to healthier students, safer school zones, less air pollution, and better academic performance.

• York Region Sustainable Mobility Plan
• Ottawa Public Health – Health and the Built Environment
• Ontario Active School Travel – Benefits of Active School Travel
• Healthy Built Environment Linkages Toolkit (2018)

Neighbourhood design and housing are reflected in the planning decisions that impact the layout of a community, the services, amenities, and infrastructure available for all ages, stages, and abilities, including diverse and affordable housing along with how complete, compact and connected the community is. 

Complete communities offer a full range of housing types, employment opportunities, and mobility choice. They provide a wide range of desired destinations within walking or cycling distance of residents. These can include community, recreational, cultural, and institutional facilities.

Connected communities have interconnected and accessible mobility systems that provide the ability to walk, cycle, transit, and carpool. They offer a priority on pedestrian movement and transit use and access, and include a system of pedestrian and bicycle paths.

It is the policy of York Region Council: That communities shall be designed in a manner that fosters physical and mental health, facilitates inclusivity and accessibility for people of all ages and abilities, and York Region’s diverse population. It is also recognized that well-designed communities positively impact human health. 

York Region is growing. Much of this growth will be concentrated around the Region’s Centres and Corridors, which are new downtown areas identified as the primary place for urban growth in the Region. As York Region plans for anticipated growth, we must look at more sustainable ways to accommodate development to create complete, healthy, and thriving communities for the Region’s residents and workers.  

Poor housing conditions such as poor building design, lack of maintenance, and not meeting building code standards, can increase the risk of health issues. Well-designed buildings can reduce resource demands, improve indoor air quality, reduce emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases, and encourage physical activity.

The accessibility and quality of supportive housing options is also related to improved health and social well-being (Healthy Built Env. Linkages, 2018).

The way a community is designed can influence residents’ access to healthy choices and opportunities (e.g., clean air and water, fresh food markets, grocery stores, recreational facilities, trails, parks, etc.) and unhealthy choices and opportunities (e.g., air pollution, access to alcohol, tobacco, fast food).

The way our communities are designed can impact the air we breathe. In communities where homes are far from schools, jobs and shopping, people drive more frequently and for longer distances. Vehicle emissions are a major contributor to air pollution. The location of sensitive populations needs to be carefully considered and adequately separated from sources of pollution through buffers and land use planning decisions.

Climate change impacts the health of our communities. It may lead to more heat waves, severe storms, flooding and diseases, and it can affect our food supply. Planning our communities to be more resilient and sustainable will help prepare for and adapt to the impacts of climate change. 

Extensive research on the health benefits associated with community design shows denser, walkable neighbourhoods with services and amenities nearby that allow people to more easily incorporate physical activity into their daily activities.

York Region is Building Healthy, Complete Communities.

Complete Communities:

1. Allow for easier access to everyday destinations and services. 
2. Support the use of public transit, biking and walking which are environmentally sustainable, contributing to clean air and water.
3. Reinforce initiatives that support public safety such as complete streets which are pedestrian-friendly with enhanced safety features and accessibility options for people of all ages and abilities.
4. Have options for people at various stages of life to live through a range of housing types and affordability including accessible housing options.
5. Promote job growth and business diversity for existing and new businesses within the community.
6. Maximize opportunities for daily physical activity and support recreation and healthy living through interconnected streets and accessible green spaces for all ages.
7. Foster a sense of community pride and promote community involvement such as volunteering.
8. Create a distinct community character by preserving community heritage sites and respecting local culture.
9. Promote sustainable growth by using existing infrastructure and redevelopment, including low impact development and green infrastructure features.
10. Support equitable access to affordable and healthy food as well as protect farmland to help secure local food production and supply.
11. Have complete streets. Complete streets are for everyone, they allow pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, and transit users to interact together in a safe environment. They include features such as sidewalks, bike paths, cross-walks, clearly identified bus stops, street furniture, public art, lighting and curb ramps which are examples of streetscaping features that enhance safety and accessibility for people of all ages and abilities.  

(From: Shaping the Future: Building Complete Communities in York Region).

Public Health has supported building healthy, complete communities by strengthening partnerships with Regional and local municipal partners through the provision of health data and information, technical advice on planning and transportation infrastructure development projects, and by assisting in land use policy and development review processes.

Get to know your community. Walk or cycle more often and use your car less.

You can:

• Eat local, healthy food. Buy fresh food at your local farmers’ market.
• Reduce your carbon footprint by conserving energy at home and on the road.
• Speak with your neighbours about community issues. Discuss ways to solve problems.
• Participate on a municipal or community committee.
• Learn more about your municipality’s official plan and how it affects your community.

• York Region: Regional Official Plan
• Healthy Built Environment Linkages Toolkit (2018)