What we do in the WHO Collaborating Centre

The WHO Collaborating Centre is formally and designated as a Collaborating Centre by the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe. As such it is linked to a network of 90 cities in the healthy city network from across Europe.

The WHO Centre is unique amongst collaborating centres in Europe in being based in an environment college rather than a health college.

The WHO Collaborating Centre undertakes research and provides advice/training in the fields of healthy urban planning and sustainable neighbourhoods and collaborative decision processes needed to support stakeholders in these fields.

Situated in the largest Higher Education planning department in the UK, the Collaborating Centre has also established itself nationally in promoting better understanding of the interlocked nature of health and planning. It has a strong track record of working with national, regional and local interests from both traditions.

WHO objectives

We work with municipalities, planning consultancies and other health and planning stakeholders and communities in the UK. We also support WHO Europe and the wider European WHO Healthy Cities network and work towards the following objectives:

1. To develop and reinforce the strategic goals of Health 2020 through a range of knowledge sharing activities in the field of healthy urban environments.
2. To produce and disseminate evidence underpinning and promoting the healthy urban environments theme.
3. To evaluate progress of Healthy Cities in implementing healthy urban environments.
4. To promote education, training and knowledge exchange for professionals.
5. To develop research in the field of healthy urban environments.
6. To build partnerships with key organisations including universities and government agencies at national and international level.
7. To develop and promote tools for built environment and public health practitioners to aid decision-making in the field of healthy urban environment.

Key text

We specialise in supporting communities, organisations and professionals who want to create healthier places. The Routledge Handbook of Planning for Health and Well-being authoritatively and comprehensively integrates health into planning, strengthening the hands of those who argue and plan for healthy environments. With contributions from international leaders in the field, the Handbook of Planning for Health and Well-being provides context, philosophy, research, processes, and tools of experienced practitioners through case studies from four continents.

Expert links

The Centre works closely with relevant experts across the university. It has strong links to:

• Air Quality Management Resource Centre
• Bristol Law School
• Centre for Public Health and Wellbeing
• Centre for Sustainable Planning and Environments
• Centre for Water, Communities and Resilience
• Centre for Transport and Society
• College of Health, Science and Society
• Computing and Creative Technologies
• Construction And Built Environment Research
• IT for Smart Cities Unit