Announcing the new NCCEH Healthy Built Environment Online Discussion Forum

In recent years, research evidence on the influence of healthy built environments (HBE) on human physical, mental, and social health has increased drastically. As a result, public health agencies and educational institutions across Canada have incorporated HBE into their mandates and curricula as part of their efforts to improve population health outcomes. Many initiatives and projects have been developed across the country; however, knowledge and information sharing among practitioners, policy-makers, and researchers could be more consistent and better coordinated.
To enhance networking and foster linkages among HBE practitioners, policy-makers, and researchers, the NCCEH developed the Healthy Built Environment in Canada Online Discussion Forum in partnership with BC Centre for Disease Control’s Population and Public Health. Since the official launch of the forum in December 2018, approximately 100 champions and participants have registered on the forum, with representation across Canada from BC to the Atlantic provinces, in sectors including public health, land use planning, academia, and local governments.
Who can join?
Anyone who work or has an interest in any area of HBE! The target audiences include but are not limited to:
- Public health professionals (including PHIs/EHOs, population/community health teams, dietitians, medical officers of health, community health specialists)
- Health organizations
- Federal, provincial, and local governments (planning and design, administration, policy, knowledge translators/brokers)
- Academic institutions (researchers, students in masters, PhD, and urban design/urban planning programs)
- Private sector, including developers and consultants
What type of content can I post?
Anything HBE-related! Wondering if someone in another province has experience developing a similar project? Have a question about how a principle or concept can be implemented or incorporated in a specific context? Want to ask others how they approached a barrier or challenge in their work? Interested in sharing your projects or initiatives with other like-minded individuals? Post them on the forum!
Help us make it better
Help us make this forum work better for you! Let us know your suggestions, thoughts, or ideas for the forum. We are always looking for your suggestions on how to improve our projects and efforts.
Learn More
If you are interested in learning more about the discussion forum’s objectives and public health’s role in HBE, please see:
- CIPHI Environmental Health Review article, Promoting knowledge exchange and collaboration on healthy built environment: A new online discussion forum at NCCEH
- CIPHI BC Branch Fall 2018 Newsletter (page 6), “Engaging Public Health Inspectors in Healthy Built Environment Discussions”.