Leaders from UNB and the City of Saint John receive funding to attend workshop on healthy urban policy in Copenhagen

This fall, representatives from the University of New Brunswick (UNB) and the City of Saint John will join teams from three other Canadian cities on a trip to Copenhagen, Denmark, to attend a healthy urban policy workshop, hosted by 8 80 Cities.

The trip is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Healthy Cities Research Initiative. It will offer a valuable opportunity to capitalize on the current momentum for active transportation solutions and urban core enhancements in the City of Saint John.

Like Saint John, Copenhagen is a port city with a rich urban culture and a history of reinvention. The teams will learn from Copenhagen, renowned for its robust active transportation culture and for successfully integrating wellbeing and mobility needs while adapting its built environment to changing transportation technology.

“Saint John is committed to enhancing the quality of life for our residents through innovative urban planning and active transportation solutions,” said Mayor Donna Reardon. “This opportunity, in partnership with UNB, will provide us with the tools to clearly demonstrate the significant health and well-being benefits these enhancements bring to our community. By quantifying these benefits, we can make informed decisions that support a healthier, more vibrant and connected Saint John.”

Over the course of five days, the groups will engage in an immersive workshop aimed at enhancing and implementing healthy urban policies in Saint John, with a particular focus on transportation.

Researchers will examine Copenhagen's contributions to public health enhancement, gain insights from experts and peers, and engage in exercises to identify and articulate issues within their own cities. They will develop strategies to engage the public and other stakeholders in advancing active transportation improvements.

“University research doesn’t exist simply for its own sake,” said Dr. David MaGee, UNB vice president research. “Instead, a great deal of it can have a direct, noticeable and real impact on our everyday lives. Through this initiative, and in collaboration with the City of Saint John, our researchers will look for innovative ways of improving the accessibility of our cities and the health of our population.”

Saint John’s team will be led by Dr. Trevor Hanson, a professor of civil engineering, coordinator of the Community Transportation Research Lab and principal investigator of the project. He will be joined by Dr. Jennifer Russell, executive director of the Institute of Population Health at UNB. Mayor Donna Reardon, Jillian DeMerchant, a traffic engineer and Jennifer Kirchner, manager of community planning, will represent the City.

“As a society, we’re realizing that our focus on cars has impacted our ability to walk, bike, or wheel in our communities,” said Dr. Hanson. “Yet it’s challenging for engineers and planners to justify active transportation investments if their planning tools only consider road improvements. Saint John, like many cities, is now returning to active transportation and is poised to lead in reducing car dependence. We hope this project will lead to decision-support tools that can help cities ‘dream big’ about the potential of active transportation to enhance mobility and health.”

UNB’s project, titled “quantifying benefits of local active transportation investments: a collaborative health and engineering approach to mobilize on healthy urban policy,” aims to build on Saint John’s current active transportation solutions and uptown urban core enhancements. The project seeks to quantify and articulate the health and well-being benefits of these improvements.

“Healthy built environments are key to enhancing physical and mental health. By designing cities to promote active transportation, we address public health challenges, reduce risks of chronic diseases like dementia, heart disease, and diabetes, and support mental well-being,” said Dr. Russell. “For New Brunswick, this means creating connected spaces that encourage healthier lifestyles, help residents age in place, maintain independence, and reduce healthcare system pressure. The project in Saint John showcases how urban design and policies can boost public health, making our communities places to thrive.”

The other three Canadian teams selected to participate include, Montreal, Quebec (Université de Montréal), Toronto, Ontario (University of Guelph) and Burnaby, British Columbia (Simon Fraser University).

See 8 80 Cities and the Copenhagen workshop for more information.