The eight member organizations of the Joint Call to Action for Healthy Communities (JTCA) Coalition published ten discussion guides to highlight successful cross-disciplinary collaborations for healthy, equitable communities, according to the American Society of Landscape Architects.

The guides feature 10 case studies from across the country including California, Colorado, Kentucky, Indiana, and Washington, D.C., and examines the keys to their success as well as challenges they face. Included in each guide are conversational questions any design or planning professional can use to kick-start collaboration in their community. To access the guides, visit https://tinyurl.com/wbasqpq.

 

ASLA notes that the guides build on the core values outlined in the 2018 Joint Call to Action for Healthy Communities, which provided a framework for effective local, state, and regional collaboration across fields. Those values include:

• creating and fostering partnerships that advance health;
• building an understanding of health data and establishing measurable health objectives for plans and projects;
• advancing policies, programs, and systems that promote community health, well-being and equity; and
• communicating the importance of health.

"Landscape architects are essential to designing healthy, safe, and accessible public spaces. Our work in the built and natural environments promotes active lifestyles and healthy communities," says ASLA president Wendy Miller, FASLA. "These guides show how many stakeholders, including landscape architects, can address growing health challenges and inequities by working together."

The JCTA includes American Society of Landscape Architects, American Planning Association, American Public Health Association, American Society of Civil Engineers, American Institute of Architects, National Recreation and Park Association, U.S. Green Building Council, Urban Land Institute.