Health and Places Initiative

Who We Are

This project has had two phases. The first phase of the Health and Places Initiaitive (HAPI) project, from 2013-2015, investigated the scope and possibilities for creating healthier places in the future, with a global concern but a specific emphasis on China. The project brought together experts from the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH) to create a forum for understanding the multiple issues that face cities in light of rapid urbanization and an aging population worldwide. Through the work of dedicated faculty and researchers, the project developed templates for alternative models of urban development, stressing their impact on health and aging.

What We Do

Phase one of HAPI he project had several components:

  • Synthesizing health and place research into planning and design guidelines for healthier neighborhoods.
  • Adapting tools to evaluate health in places and plans and comfort in public spaces.
  • Analyzing the connections between health and place in China using both large datasets and intensive case studies.
  • Developing prototypes for healthier places.
  • Creating courses and public education on the connections between health and place.

During phase one from 2013-2015 HSPH and HGSD teams conducted several strands of research:

  • Synthesizing health and place research into planning and design guidelines for healthier neighborhoods.
  • Adapting tools to evaluate health in places and plans and comfort in public spaces.
  • Analyzing the connections between health and place in China using both large datasets and intensive case studies.
  • Developing prototypes for healthier places.

During phase two of the HAPI project, starting in 2016, it is investigating collaborative approaches to creating healthier places including approaches such as healthy cities programs, providing services for an aging population, creating healthier new developments such as new towns, and using place-based health assessment tools.

Why This Matters

There are many links between health and the built environment, from air quality to food access. The Health and Places Initiative (HAPI) is a program that helps create and synthesize the evidence base linking landscape, urban design, planning, and health.

For more information, please visit the Health and Places Initiative website.

Leadership Phase I

Gary Adamkiewicz, Assistant Professor, co-Principal Investigator, HSPH
Ann Forsyth, Professor, Principal Investigator, HGSD
Peter Rowe, Professor, Neighborhood Case Study Lead, HGSD
Leire Asensio-Villoria, Lecturer, Design Coordinator, HGSD
David Mah, Lecturer, Design Coordinator, HGSD
John Spengler, Professor, Principal Investigator, HSPH