Tackling the root causes of unhealthy planning, economics and decision-making: An urban systems approach, (TRUUD Urban Systems), 2019-24

Research Team: Kathy Pain (Henley Business School), and a consortium of experts from University of Bristol, University of Bath, University of Manchester and University of the West of England.

Funded by a UK Prevention Research Partnership (UKPRP) research grant administered by the Medical Research Council, the 5-year Tackling the Root Causes Upstream of Unhealthy Urban Development (TRUUD) project - aims to understand how the prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) might be fully considered and factored into the decision-making of those in control of the quality of major new infrastructure, urban environments, and critical, unresolved issues of governance. NCDs make up the vast majority of illnesses in the UK, accounting for an estimated 89 per cent of all deaths.

Focusing on the Bristol and Greater Manchester case study areas and working in co-production with the project partners, the Reading research team is working with key private and public sector agencies in control of real estate finance and investment, delivery, land, planning permission, core policy/legislation, and lay public, with the aim of delivering real changes that reduce the burden of these diseases on our health and social care systems and enable people to live longer, healthier lives. TRUUD is one of a group of UKPRP projects developing, testing and refining new, practical and cost-effective approaches to preventing NCDs at a big picture level, and in turn helping to reduce health inequalities across the UK.