Create and develop healthy and sustainable places and communities

This priority focuses on:

  • Creating and developing healthy sustainable places and communities.
  • Expanding the community prototype approach in communities.
  • Being part of a connected, safe, and sustainable community.
  • Improve the quality of housing.
  • Improving access to stimulating quality environments and open space.
  • Mitigating against the exposure of communities to pollutants.
  • Improving access to healthy diets fresh food - food growing opportunities and cookery skills.

Background

Healthy places

Living in healthy places is protective of good health. Where we live, and how we travel in our communities, impacts our physical health, wellbeing and connectedness. We need to mitigate against the sources of pollution and promote the quality of the urban environment by enhancing liveable spaces. Housing is fundamental to the well-being of people, their families, and their communities. Safe, secure, and suitable housing provides a stable base on which people can build their lives and build successful communities. Poor or unsuitable housing, high housing, and energy costs, however, can have negative impacts on many other areas of personal and community life as well as physical and mental health and well-being. In Greater Manchester, the tragic death of 2-year-old Awaab Ishak in 2020 due to black mould in his property and the failure of the landlord to take remedial action underscores the importance of good quality housing to protect the health of children. It is also important that people of all ages have access to quality open spaces and green environments which offer mental stimulation as well as places in which to relax.

Healthy communities

Community assets are important to health directly and indirectly: directly through the services and opportunities they offer that support physical and mental health, and indirectly through a sense of control and empowerment, levels of community cohesion and social interaction, all of which support good health. We will support evidence-based community regeneration programmes that remove barriers to community participation and reduce social isolation.

In Coventry we respond to the needs of our communities through our integrated services community prototypes and other placed-based partnerships, rooted in and driven by place, we are working creatively with shared resources to make positive change. Our focus is on demonstrably improving outcomes and tackling inequalities in our communities. Drawing upon the city’s dynamic and collaborative response to the pandemic and wider research, the approach is also enabling a practical response to the Cost-of-Living crisis to address the environmental and social determinants of health in each locality and to minimise the risks of exposure to pollutants which are harmful to health and wellbeing.

The One Coventry approach to community involvement highlights the work taking place in communities along with new approaches to engagement and collaboration.

What we know

There are a number of programmes of work and interventions that support the creating and developing healthy places and communities recommendation by:

  • Using insight and data to identify specific challenges, community assets and strengths.
  • Empower and enable community solutions.
  • Providing practical support to strengthen the community sector.
  • Providing access to a safe, sustainable, equitable and resilient transport system across the social gradient and increasing opportunities for active travel.
  • Create good quality biodiverse green spaces that are accessible locally.
  • Maximise opportunities to improve the safety, security, and quality of housing across the social gradient.

Legislation, Government guidance that support the create and develop healthy and sustainable places and communities recommendation:

Links to service developments and strategies to support this recommendation:

Areas for future consideration:

  • Coventry Adaptation and Resilience Plan
  • Local Nature Recovery Strategy
  • Biodiversity Action Plan
  • Selective Licensing of private rented accommodation

Indicators

  • Quality of housing and access to housing
  • Households/persons/ children in temporary accommodation, and those experiencing homelessness
  • Number of people travelling by active modes, such as cycling and walking
  • Encourage community engagement
  • Place-based community approaches

Programmes and activities

  • Act On Energy
  • Assessment of high-rise buildings
  • Community Messengers programme
  • Coventry Liveable Neighbourhood schemes in Earlsdon and Lower Coundon
  • Dealing with empty dwellings
  • Disabilities Facilities Grant
  • ECO4 Programme
  • Family Hubs
  • Homes for Ukraine (Local Authority Housing Fund)
  • Housing ‘Pathways’ model
  • Integrated services community prototypes and other place-based partnerships
  • Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation
  • Property retro fitting programme
  • Resettlement Programme
  • STEP Forward
  • Supporting Families Programme- Intensive Family Support
  • WM travel system

Delivery partners

  • Central England Law Centre
  • Coventry Citizens Advice
  • Children's Commissioning team
  • Coventry Migration and Refugee Centre
  • Community Resilience Team CCC
  • Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation Service
  • Drug and Alcohol Accommodation Services
  • Ecology Team CCC
  • Foleshill Womens Training
  • Homeless and Housing Team CCC
  • Housing providers and associations
  • Mental Health Services
  • Migration Team CCC

How we will measure progress

  • Number of Community Messengers
  • Community case studies
  • Community prototypes and place-based working real-life case studies
  • Numbers of Coventry residents who agree that their local area is a place where people get on well together
  • Numbers of Coventry residents who participate in volunteering opportunities in their local communities
  • Total households on the housing waiting
  • Number of households in temporary accommodation
  • Number of children living in temporary accommodation
  • Snapshot number of people sleeping rough in the city
  • West Midlands Fire Service information
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