Healthy Planning: The Australian Landscape.

Tire places where we live out our daily lives have a pivotal role in facilitating our physical and mental health. This is supported by an international body of research evidence. To combat the epidemic of chronic diseases associated with sedentary and busy urban lifestyles, the built environment needs to be planned and managed to enable people to be physically active, socially connected and to have ready access to affordable, fresh and nutritious food. Our paper is set against this backdrop, which contextualizes the pressing urgency for Australian urban planners to create a health supportive environment. Following a brief historical overview of healthy planning in Australia, the focus shifts to how different levels of government, together with the not-for-profit and private sectors, are embracing healthy planning across the nation. The paper concludes with a consideration of the future for healthy planning so that it becomes accepted 'core business' in Australian planning policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]