Green space creation and utilization in coordination with policies for Healthy Cities in Japan

ABSTRACT Over the past 18 years, policies for Healthy Cities have been introduced in Japan to promote public health and provide ample green spaces through the collaborative efforts of various sections of Japan’s local governments. These efforts have been directed at such matters as the health of city residents, grounds maintenance, sport, and community development in both plan-making and implementation, and share the common goal of creating more green spaces. In this study, we reviewed policies for Green Structure Plans in coordination with Health Promotion Plans and policies for Healthy Cities in six Japanese cities, and assessed the role of policies for Healthy Cities in supporting and promoting green spaces and policies for planning green spaces in these cities. We found that the integrated planning of public health and the provision of sufficient green spaces, particularly in disadvantaged city areas, can produce significant improvements in the quality of the environment. We also determined the city size that is best suited to cross-sectional collaboration for policy development and implementation in the planning process.