The Creating Healthy Places Guidebook is a practical resource developed by CU Denver's Health+Design Initiative through a multi-year research and education project funded by the Colorado Health Foundation. It provides planners, designers, and community development practitioners with the frameworks, strategies, and references needed to integrate health into their work.
The Guidebook was produced through a collaborative process involving graduate students, faculty, and professional practitioners over the course of the Creating Healthy Places studio series. It synthesizes research findings, studio outcomes, and best practices from across the planning and design professions into a comprehensive, accessible format.
What the Guidebook Covers
The Guidebook is organized around the eight health categories used in the Health Assessment Lens, providing a consistent framework across all HDI tools and resources. Each chapter includes an introduction to the health category, key concepts and terminology, design and planning strategies, and connections to relevant tools and professional standards.
Introduction to Health in Design & Planning
Overview of the connections between the built environment and public health, and how this Guidebook is organized.
Equity and Justice
Strategies for ensuring equitable access to healthy environments and inclusive planning processes.
Human Wellbeing
Design approaches that support physical, mental, and social health for all community members.
Harmony with Nature
Integrating ecological systems, green infrastructure, and natural environments into the built landscape.
Economic Resiliency
Planning and design strategies that support economic stability and opportunity for communities.
Healthy Homes, Buildings & Connections
Building design, housing quality, transportation, and connectivity as determinants of community health.
Implementation & Practice
How to integrate the Guidebook's frameworks into professional practice, from scoping to completion.
How to Use the Guidebook
The Guidebook can be used in conjunction with the Health Assessment Lens as part of a comprehensive health-informed planning process. While the Lens provides a structured framework for assessing health conditions and identifying gaps, the Guidebook provides the strategies and references needed to address those gaps in project design and planning.
The Guidebook is available as a PDF document for free download. Individual chapters are also available separately for practitioners who want to focus on specific health topics most relevant to their current project.
Download the Guidebook
The Creating Healthy Places Guidebook is available as a free download. Individual chapters and the full book are provided in PDF format.