1. Smart Urban Futures Forum – MAV and Victoria Walks 25 March 2015
The Built Environment: a critical health issue Diana Heggie - CEO Heart Foundation Victoria
Acknowledge the traditional owners of the land
Smart Urban Futures Forum – MAV and Victoria Walks
25 March 2015

2. Healthy Lifestyle

3. Chronic disease is the biggest public health crisis of our time!
At the start of the last century, people were dying from infectious diseases such as Cholera and Typhoid which were predominantly caused by a lack of sanitation. Early governments saw effective town planning and infrastructure as critical in the battle against these diseases. Today our challenge is just as great – The built environment can give us clues on how to behave, so good planning and urban design are critical in addressing the lifestyle risk factors that are currently contributing to so many chronic diseases.

4. Obesity crisis facing Australia 10 years from now

5. Strategies for change Individual Environment
Changing human behaviours is complex and difficult
Individual approaches such as educating and motivating people to change their lifestyle is not enough
The environments in which we live, work and play need to be conducive to make behaviour change easier for individuals
We need to make it easier- Supportive environment
one-third of physical inactivity levels can be prevented by environmental interventions alone

6. Sedentary Behaviour

7. Healthy by Design Practical guidance to: For use with and by:
Encourage walkable & more liveable communities
Encourage physical activity through quality urban design
Facilitate healthy planning for healthy places
For use with and by:
Local government built environment professionals – planners, transport planners, open space and recreation, health planners, urban design etc
Private practice – including developers
Community organisations

8. Heart Foundation Local Government Awards

10. Our Advocacy
We are asking the state government to:
Amend the Planning and Environment Act to ensure health is a consideration in urban design

11. You can:
Enter the Local Government Awards – entries close Friday 22 May
Join us in calling for amendments to the Planning Act
Get innovative at the margins…. make a difference
Get information on Healthy by Design

12. Can a footpath help prevent a heart attack?
YES
The way your community is designed can either help or hinder your likelihood of keeping active.
A HEALTHY HEART REQUIRES EXCERCISE