Urban liveability: Emerging lessons from Australia for exploring the potential for indicators to measure the social determinants of health

Hannah Badland; Carolyn Whitzman; Melanie Lowe; Melanie Davern; Lu Aye; Iain Butterworth; Dominique Hes; Billie Giles-Corti

Journal article

Urban liveability: Emerging lessons from Australia for exploring the potential for indicators to measure the social determinants of health

Hannah Badland, Carolyn Whitzman, Melanie Lowe, Melanie Davern, Lu Aye, Iain Butterworth, Dominique Hes, Billie Giles-Corti

SOCIAL SCIENCE & MEDICINE | PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD | Published : 2014

DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.04.003

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Abstract

It has long been recognised that urban form impacts on health outcomes and their determinants. There is growing interest in creating indicators of liveability to measure progress towards achieving a wide range of policy outcomes, including enhanced health and wellbeing, and reduced inequalities. This review aimed to: 1) bring together the concepts of urban 'liveability' and social determinants of health; 2) synthesise the various liveability indicators developed to date; and 3) assess their quality using a health and wellbeing lens. Between 2011 and 2013, the research team reviewed 114 international academic and policy documents, as well as reports related to urban liveability. Overall, 233 ..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Melanie Davern Author Melbourne School of Population and Global Health

Lu Aye Author Infrastructure Engineering

Dominique Hes Author Architecture, Building and Planning

Billie Giles-Corti Author Melbourne School of Population and Global Health

Carolyn Whitzman Author Architecture, Building and Planning

Related Projects (1)

EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN URBAN PLANNING AND HEALTH AND THE APPLICATION OF RESEARCH FINDINGS TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND WELL BEING OF AUSTRALIANS BY CREATING MORE HEALTHY AND SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES.

Globally there is growing concern about the health, social, environmental, and economic impacts of rising levels of inactivity and obesity, ..

Grants

Awarded by NHMRC Principal Research Fellow Award

Funding Acknowledgements

This project was a collaboration between the: McCaughey VicHealth Centre for Community Wellbeing, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, Melbourne School of Engineering at the University of Melbourne, and the Victorian Department of Health. Funding from the Melbourne Social Equity Institute and Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute is gratefully acknowledged. An NHMRC Principal Research Fellow Award supports BGC (#1004900) and VicHealth supports the McCaughey VicHealth Centre for Community Wellbeing members.