1. Healthy Cities / Healthy Communities

2. Healthy Cities/Healthy Communities
A theoretical framework for a process by which citizens can create healthy communities.
Communities where all systems work well and together and where all citizens enjoy a good quality of life.
Loosely-defined strategy that involves all community members addressing issues that are important to them.

3. Two Premises of Healthy Cities/Healthy Communities
A comprehensive view of health
A commitment to healthy promotion 3

4. Prerequisites for Health in Communities
Peace
Shelter
Education
Food
Income
Stable ecosystem
Social justice
Equity
Sustainable resources 4

5. How to Promote Community Health
Build public policy
Create supportive environments
Strengthen community action
Develop personal skills
Re-orient services 5

6. Community Environments
Natural
Economic
Leisure
Political
Work
Built
Social 6

7. Why use Healthy Cities/Healthy Communities?
Community perspective
Participatory planning and community ownership
Range of ideas
Knowledge of the community
Community-wide ties 7

8. Why use Healthy Cities/Healthy Communities?
Achievable and measurable goals
Identification and use of community assets and resources
Community commitment to the long-term process
Community self-image 8

9. Who should participate?
Elected and appointed officials
Those most affected by the issue
People who will carry out the initiative or those whose lives will be affected by it
Agencies and groups involved in implementing the effort
Community opinion leaders 9

10. Components of Healthy Cities/Healthy Communities
Create a compelling vision based on shared values.
Embrace a broad definition of health and well-being.
Address quality-of-life for everyone.
Engage diverse citizen participation and be citizen-driven.
Seek multi-sectoral membership in widespread community ownership. 10

11. Components of HC/HC (cont.)
Acknowledge the social determinants of health and the interrelationship of health and other issues.
Address issues through collaborative problem-solving.
Focus on system change.
Build capacity using local assets and resources.
Measure and benchmark progress and outcomes. 11

12. Three Social Determinants of Health
Socio-economic equality
Social connectedness
Sense of personal efficacy 12

13. Potential Local Assets and Resources
Impassioned individuals with talent, skills, and leadership
Those with material resources: money, space, etc.
Institutions (libraries, schools, houses of worship…) that can be resources
Organizations whose mission is to work for a better community 13

14. Potential Local Assets and Resources
Official government support along with legal and regulatory powers
human resources—skills and work ethic
Natural and other environmental resources
The potential for these parts to coordinate 14

15. Steps to Implement a Healthy Community Strategy
Assemble a diverse and inclusive group
Generate a vision
Assess the assets and resources in the community that can help you realize your vision, and the issues that act as barriers to it 15

16. Steps to Implement a Healthy Community Strategy (cont.)
Choose a first issue to focus on
Develop a community-wide strategy, incorporating as many organizations, levels, and sectors as possible
Implement the plan 16

17. Steps to Implement a Healthy Community Strategy (cont.)
Monitor and adjust your initiative or intervention
Establish new systems that will maintain and build on the gains you’ve made
Celebrate benchmarks and successes
Tackle the next issues 17