Towards healthy urban planning in Valjevo: Assessing limits and potentials of urban plans

Cities today are increasingly exposed to various challenges, including climate extremes, pollution, and declining quality of the urban environment, that endanger urban health. In response, the Healthy City concept is developed and becomes crucial, as it implies the integration of qualitative aspects of public health and ecological sustainability in all phases of urban planning. This paper relies on the insights of the interdisciplinary Erasmus+ project CliCCHE - Climate Change, Cities, Communities and Equity in Health, which aimed to support healthy urban planning by developing specific educational methods and tools. The project was implemented through cooperation between academic institutions across the Europe and local administrations and communities. In Serbia, Valjevo was selected as a city for a case study since it was assumed that medium-sized cities are particularly affected by these challenges due to inadequate infrastructure but also to how urban planning documents integrate health issues. The main goal of the paper is to examine the urban planning potential for guiding cities towards the concept of a Healthy City. Based on the literature review, the initial 2-step methodological framework for assessment of local urban plans is developed that evaluates level and key themes of health-planning integration and tests the potential for urban health improvement through CliCCHE educational projects. The results point to key gaps in current plans, but also to potential opportunities that could improve urban planning and contribute to a healthier and more sustainable urban environment.