Although human health is a new connection for planning in Australia today, a century ago planning was strongly aligned with public health objectives to prevent the spread of infectious disease. This close relationship was not, however, sustained. Planning shifted its focus to urban policy development, design and environmental sustainability, while public health largely pursued a medical model (Botchwey et al. 2009). Today, we face a different set of health problems associated with our sedentary and automobile-dependent lifestyles, and the two disciplines are gradually re-aligning as evidence mounts about the critical role that the built environment plays in supporting human health.

So what makes a healthy place in Australia and how can planning contribute to the creation of such places? In this chapter we explore these questions– initially by defining the concept of ‘healthy planning’ and providing a brief overview of its evolution. Contemporary Australian health patterns are then presented, setting the context for considering the role of the environment in supporting good health as part of everyday life. The chapter concludes with key challenges for healthy planning.