The Middlesex-London Health Unit is a public health unit serving Middlesex County and the City of London.
Middlesex-London Health Unit
The Middle-Sex London Health Unit developed multiple active transportation resources that recommend or mention Complete Streets. The public health unit (PHU) created a research report called “Healthy City/Active London” that identifies the benefits and predictors of active transportation. The report recommends incorporating a Complete Streets approach into London’s Official Plan (p. 15; p.16) and also includes a definition for Complete Streets (p.18).
The public health unit also developed “Active Community Toolkit for Reviewing Development Plans” to assist public health professionals with supporting active community design when reviewing development plans submitted to a municipality. The toolkit was mainly developed for public health professionals; however, other professionals may be interested in using it to advocate for or design active communities. The document defines Complete Streets (p. 5) and includes a specific tool for identifying Complete Streets elements in development plans (p. 56-70) as well as guidance for using this tool (p.23-37).
The PHU has also developed a toolkit for implementing the Toronto Charter for Physical Activity (TCPA) in the London and Middlesex County area called “International Toronto Charter for Physical Activity (TCPA) Toolkit: Tips, Actions, Items, and Resources for Putting the TCPA ino Action.” The TCPA is an international charter that helps organizations and individuals work with decision-makers in various industries to promote physical activity in their communities. The document calls on policy- and decision-makers to create Complete Streets policies for Middlesex-London (p.5) and provides a link to the City of Toronto’s Complete Streets Guidelines as a resource (p.6).
The PHU also created a position paper called “Linking Health and the Built Environment in Rural Settings: Evidence and Recommendations for Planning Healthy Communities in Middlesex County” that highlights the relationship between health and the built environment in rural settings, with a particular focus on Middlesex County. The paper incorporates findings from a review of the academic literature, relevant policy documents and key informant interviews. Support for a Complete Streets approach in rural settings is described multiple times throughout the document (p.8; p.26-27) and is defined in the Road Safety (p.27) and Glossary (p.41) sections.