Obesity. Food deserts. Accessibility. Transportation alternatives. The way a community is planned — its land development patterns, transportation options, or community design — bears heavily on the health of those living there. By working closely with policy makers, public health professionals, environmental health scientists, transportation engineers, educators, and other community members and experts, planners work to create healthier communities, eliminating adverse conditions and building better places for everyone to live, work, and play.

APA's Planning and Community Health Research Center is dedicated to integrating community health issues into local and regional planning practices by advancing a program of research, outreach, education, and policy.

Download the National Centers for Planning brochure (pdf)

Our work advances healthier policies and planning practices through:

Research

Working with a global network of research fellows and partner institutions, APA conducts collaborative, multidisciplinary research aimed at addressing today's pressing health issues through city and regional planning.

Outreach

Through a variety of institutional partnerships and outreach activities, APA increases awareness of health and planning issues.

Education

Training and technical assistance for planners and allied professionals as well as guidance for the next generation of planning and public health officials are essential to educating a variety of stakeholders on how to create healthy, sustainable communities.

Policy

Local, state, and national public policy that affects our natural and built environments plays an important role in the creation of health-supportive communities.

Resources

From policy guides, reports and publications, to online courses and podcasts, APA has a variety of resources to assist planners and public health professionals in the integration of health into planning practice.

About APA

APA is the premier independent not-for-profit education and research organization devoted to urban, suburban, regional, and rural planning. Through serial publications, research monographs, online resources, and distance and face-to-face training, we reach frontline professionals and decision makers. With more than 44,000 members and established partnerships with numerous academic, nonprofit, and public institutions, APA is connected to the innovative thinking and the practical realities of the planning profession.