Project Summary

Most people in the world die from diseases you can’t catch from other people.  These are called non-communicable diseases, and include heart and respiratory conditions, cancers, diabetes, and mental health problems. We know where we live has a big effect on our physical and mental health.  We want to bring people together, to make healthy places a key focus of urban development.

TRUUD's aim was to make it easier to count the costs of poor health, linked with our urban environment. This included costs of health treatments, missing work, pain and suffering, as well as identifying who pays. 

The project worked with people, who live in urban areas, to enable them to share how where they live affects their health. Together, we’re creating better ways to communicate their experiences, with the people who make decisions about urban developments.

We engaged with a wide range of professionals to map out and understand current decision-making systems for urban development. This was used this information to identify opportunities for systemic changes, to prioritise preventing disease. 

This information was used to collaboratively create tools and processes, to fundamentally change how we plan and develop urban environments.  We worked with our partners in Bristol and Greater Manchester, to test and refine these changes using case studies, before transferring what we learn to other cities across the UK and beyond. 

Working together, we believe we can leave a legacy of a healthier planet.  You can find out about our research by visiting our website, truud.ac.uk.

This project ends in September 2025.