A thematic analysis of UK healthy planning frameworks and tools designed to support the inclusion of health in urban planning

While there are a number of frameworks and tools available to support the integration of health into urban planning, they have not been systematically evaluated. With health increasingly on the planning agenda, it is crucial to understand the role frameworks play and how they can best be designed/used to support the integration of health in urban planning. We conducted a thematic analysis, drawing on desk research and semi-structured interviews, of seven UK urban planning frameworks and tools designed to integrate health considerations into planning, to identify information on the challenges, considerations, and best practices of framework design and implementation. Through thematic analysis, shared challenges, best practices, and considerations for success were identified in the following themes: framework design and conceptualisation, framework recommendations and content, implementation outcomes and impact, framework evaluations, and general challenges. Main findings included the need to consult all relevant stakeholders, especially communities, developers, and local authorities, to design a useful framework. Simple, clear recommendations aligning with relevant policies around place and health were useful for enabling framework take-up. While anecdotally frameworks were found to facilitate conversations with local communities, data on framework impact was lacking, suggesting better evaluation of framework use would be beneficial in future.