van Wilgenburg, Wiljan ; Simons, Monique ; Dijst, Martin
Halblaub Miranda, Marianne ; Vásquez Fauggier, Gladys ; Knöll, Martin Utrecht University, The Netherlands (eds.) (2017):
PREHealth. Designing health into urban green and blue infrastructures – The need for action in planning, policies, and research. National Report the Netherlands.
Darmstadt, [Report]

Abstract

This report gives an overview on the health profile of the Dutch population and of the city Eindhoven in particular. The objective of this program is to keep the growing cities in the Netherlands healthy so people can live, work and relax in a healthy environment. This includes better air quality, less noise pollution and smart and healthy urban planning for a city that encourages healthy behavior. This report addresses how urban public spaces (blue and green infrastructure) could stimulate healthy behavior. Healthy behavior not only includes physical activity (PA) and sports, but also activities to unwind from stressful situations, mental wellbeing and keeping up with social contacts. The first part of the report describes the health status of the Dutch population, showing that a considerable amount of people is not meeting the physical activity guidelines, describes the groups at risk, the constraints for engaging in physical activity, and the role of the geographical environment. The second part zooms in on the city of Eindhoven and presents the policy and best practices of Eindhoven regarding the use of public open spaces for health promotion. The city of Eindhoven is a pilot city of the national ‘Smart and Healthy City’ program, involving a variety of initiatives and projects concerning public health and smart government. Next, the Brabant Health Deal is being described, focusing on themes such as social capital, quality of life and creating a facilitative and adaptive environment for healthy behavior, welfare and care. Lastly, an overview of best practices is provided, ranging from a lifted bicycle lane (The Hovenring) to a smart walking route with interactive poles.

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