A Health District Framework – Centre for Sustainable Asian Cities

A Health District Framework to Evaluate Planning Scenarios

(October 2021 - October 2023)

Principal Investigator: Prof HENG Chye Kiang
Co-PIs: Assoc Prof FUNG John Chye, Assoc Prof LIM Yee Wei, Assoc Prof Emi KIYOTA

Introduction

This study seeks to establish a health district framework to help planners and policymakers evaluate the effectiveness of various planning scenarios. In Singapore, urban planning is conducted at three levels within new towns: town, neighbourhood, and precinct. Town-level planning encompasses the provision of housing, industrial and commercial developments, infrastructure, and amenities, all of which considerably affect residents’ daily lives and health outcomes. For the purposes of this project, the focus is on the town level, which is considered as equivalent to the district scale; however, this definition may be refined as the research progresses based on emerging evidence.

The objectives of this study are to:

Conduct a review of the literature on public health in relation to planning and design at the district scale;
Develop a framework that identifies and organises the key components of a health district, with an emphasis on quantifiable indicators;
Formulate planning principles and strategies that can be used as criteria to evaluate existing districts.

The resulting health district framework will provide practical guidance for planners and inform government reviews of planning scenarios and policy formulation. Given the multi-faceted nature of a health district, evaluating a planning scenario necessitates a multi-criteria decision-making system. Future research will focus on determining the relative importance of each component within the health district framework, enabling planners and policymakers to assess the overall performance of planning and design scenarios.