Build Back Healthier: healthy housing and built environments post-pandemic

Out of the tragedy of the COVID-19 pandemic there is an opportunity to foster renewed interest in health across various policy agendas, including greater consideration of health at the centre of future housing and the [re]development of places such as towns and cities. However, the development of built environments is often divorced from the work of health professionals. This paper is aimed mainly at stakeholders, mainly across West Yorkshire, working at the intersections of health and built environments. It provides an overview of the policy context and key policy documents, examines the main aspects of the available evidence, identifies examples of best practice and presents a number of recommendations. Its aim is to demystify the built environment in order to help health professionals understand how their work can have an instrumental role in building back healthier after the pandemic. It is hoped the paper will also be of use to those in housing and planning to help identify their foundational role in the health system.