TRUUD

TRUUD (Tackling Root Causes Upstream of Unhealthy Urban Development) is a research programme that is helping change the way urban areas are planned and developed to improve health and reduce health inequalities.

Led from the University of Bristol, with five other universities, TRUUD brings together experts from academia, industry and government to create new tools and processes for healthier cities. The programme counts the cost of poor health, works with communities to communicate the issues they face, and maps out the decision-making process in creating urban environments. This includes live case study projects with researchers embedded in Bristol City Council and Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

TRUUD has seven main areas of intervention that seek to: change corporate mindsets, provide new valuation mechanisms for real estate investors and national government, support local government in impact assessment and key indicators, and develop new ways of empowering local communities. The consortium includes the Universities of Bath, Bristol, Reading, Manchester, Stirling and the University of the West of England across the disciplines of public health, urban development, policy, law, psychology, management, planning, real estate investment, systems engineering, public involvement, and environmental and health economics.

TRUUD has created an economic valuation model – Health Appraisal of Urban Systems, or HAUS for short – that allows developers or planners to consider and adjust a range of health factors. HAUS provides unit costs for more than 70 health outcomes, disaggregated so that they can be attributed across multiple agencies for a unique societal perspective.

The programme is supported by the UK Prevention Research Partnership (UKPRP), an initiative funded by UK Research and Innovation Councils, the Department of Health and Social Care and the UK devolved administrations, and leading health research charities.

Contact us at: truud-research@bristol.ac.uk