Heart Foundation Advocacy for more walkable built environments

The Heart Foundation, as part of our ongoing Advocacy role, has provided comment on:

• The Australian Government’s draft National Urban Policy
• The Australian Government’s Infrastructure and Transport Net Zero Consultation Roadmap
• The Northern Territory’s Discussion Paper on the Strategic Directions Planning Policy

You can read our submissions in full at the links above. We’ve also provided a summary of each of these below.

The Australian Government’s draft National Urban Policy

The Heart Foundation supports the draft National Urban Policy’s clear recognition of the role of urban environments to support community health and wellbeing. We further note the interconnectedness of the Policy’s goals, objectives and principles, and the stated need for a holistic approach to achieve the ambitions and framework set out in the National Urban Policy.

We have provided feedback on the need to ensure that urban policy:

• provides equity and inclusion;
• adopts a people-first approach;
• helps reduce current levels of car-dependency;
• ensures the safety of people walking, cycling and catching public transport;
• supports not just green spaces but ‘quality’ green spaces; and
• contributes to improved air quality.

We also made recommendation for the inclusion of community education and awareness campaigns to help improve support for the aspirations set out in the draft National Urban Policy.

The Australian Government’s Infrastructure and Transport Net Zero Consultation Roadmap

The Heart Foundation broadly supports the ambitions set out in the Consultation Roadmap to achieve net zero by 2050. Our comments primarily relate to objectives set out in the Consultation Roadmap towards rethinking transport networks and systems to promote active and public transport.

We have made specific recommendation that a transport hierarchy be provided throughout the document which prioritises walking, followed by cycling and other wheeled modes of mobility, public transport and, lastly, private vehicle; and that the document consistently applies a people-first approach. We have noted the interconnectedness of this document with various sectors across Government and requested that a holistic approach be taken to achieving net zero transport emissions, including integration with built environment and urban planning outcomes.

We have further commented on the need for equity and inclusion to ensure everyone living in Australia has affordable, viable and feasible modes of transport that contribute to health outcomes. We have recommended that the Federal Government support states and territories for a school educational program around active travel, and for the adoption of 30kph speed limits in built up and urban areas.

Through this submission, we have called on all levels of government to commit to allocating 20% of annual transport budgets to infrastructure for non-motorised forms of transport, as recommended by the United Nations.

The Heart Foundation welcomes the opportunity presented through the Roadmap to improve heart health through reduced transport emissions and cleaner air quality; as well as mode shift resulting in greater levels of physical activity. We note the need for strong leadership to ensure this occurs.

Similarly to our submission on the draft national Urban Policy, we again call upon the need for a far reaching educational and awareness campaign to support the ambitions set out in the Consultation Roadmap.

The Northern Territory’s Discussion Paper on the Strategic Directions Planning Policy

In our submission, we commend the Northern Territory Planning Commission for a very well-considered, sound and robust document. Important themes and topics of liveability, connected and efficient transport, housing, activity centres and climate change are well integrated throughout the Discussion Paper. As set out in the document, this interconnectivity and holistic approach to strategic directions for planning policy should result in positive health outcomes for people living in the Northern Territory.

We support the aspiration that future growth be close to services and amenities as well as being close to social and physical infrastructure. We further welcome plans for diverse housing supply and a more compact urban form.

We recommend that the SDPP be strengthened through improved reference for the need for tree canopy and shade cover.

Of relevance in the NT is the need to ensure that housing solutions in rural, remote and regional Aboriginal communities be designed and delivered in ways that reduce rheumatic heart disease – specifically, to reduce overcrowding. We invite the NT Government to embed and apply Healthy Active by Design principles into funding investment for future housing supply.