Harnessing the Value of Co-Creating and Stewarding Places for Health, Equity, and Well-Being

The Roundtable on Population Health Improvement of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a workshop at Hunter College in New York City, New York on February 6, 2020, to explore the value of co-creating and keeping inclusive healthy spaces. The workshop was designed to understand and highlight the economics of inclusive placemaking and to explore its value in improving health, equity, and well-being. Placemaking (the work of creating livable, vibrant, or quality places, especially public places) draws on various traditions of community development, arts and culture, regional planning, and civic engagement, combining different disciplinary perspectives into a creative way of shaping public spaces, land use, commerce, transportation, housing, and social fabric.


The workshop (1) examined the economics of this work, (2) described how inclusive placemakers gather resources to do their work, and (3) explored the social and economic value they are able to generate when places are designed with health, equity, and well-being in mind. This publication is a summary of the presentations and discussions that occurred during the workshop.

Table of Contents


Front Matter
1 Introduction
2 Dialogue About Inclusion
3 Stories of Intentional Inclusion
4 Perspectives from Leaders on the Frontiers
5 Recognizing and Expanding Inclusive Places
6 Reflections on the Day and Closing Remarks
Appendix A: References
Appendix B: Workshop Agenda
Appendix C: Speaker Biosketches
Appendix D: Exercise for Virtual Participants