Healthy Communities

My Community My Health Banner

Building Healthy Neighbourhoods

The “built environment” means the places people live, work, and play that are made by humans. A healthy built environment helps ensure everyone — no matter their age, income, or ability — can enjoy safe, welcoming, and resilient to negative impacts to our lives. 

The way our neighbourhoods are built can affect how healthy and happy we are. Ottawa Public Health works with the City of Ottawa, partners, and our community to support creating healthy, walkable and connected “15-minute neighbourhoods.” These are places where people can walk or bike to most of the things they need — like stores, schools, parks, and health care — within 15 minutes from home. 

Living in these neighbourhoods makes it easier to access housing that is close to daily needs. When essential services such as stores, daycares, and other supports are nearby, people are more likely to walk or bike and rely less on driving.   These neighbourhoods also support stronger social connections and help protect us from extreme heat. 

Healthy Communities – Key Features  

  • Neighbourhoods: Welcoming neighbourhoods help people feel healthy, safe, and connected to their community. 
  • Homes: Energy-efficient homes help protect people’s health and the planet as the climate changes. 
  • Schools: Schools in walkable areas help kids stay active and learn better through safe routes for walking or biking. 
  • Shops and Services: Nearby shops, services, and nutritious food options make it easier to meet daily needs close to home. 
  • Sidewalks and Bike Paths: Safe, well-maintained routes that connect to key destinations make walking and biking easier and help reduce car use. 
  • Streets and Transit: Public transportation and safer streets help people get around easily, equitably, and affordably, while reducing traffic and air pollution. 
  • Parks and Playgrounds: Accessible green spaces support physical and mental health by providing places to play, relax, and cool down. 
  • Community Spaces: Gathering places such as libraries and community centres help people connect, learn, and strengthen neighbourhood life. 
  • Food Systems: Sustainable food systems help protect health and the environment and strengthen community resilience. 
  • Affordability: Regardless of their income or life circumstances, people can access housing, food, and other local services that allow them to thrive in their community.  

How Our Communities Are Built and Why It Matters for Our Health  

The places we live, work, and play are shaped by decisions about how our communities are planned, designed and built. These decisions involve many people and groups – including city planners, engineers, developers and builders, governments, and elected officials, and community residents -- all working together. 

Check out these two videos to see how neighbourhood design affects our health — and what you can do to support healthier communities. 


Share this video  Facebook logo Email share icon

Share this video Facebook logo Email share icon

Ottawa Public Health works with the City of Ottawa and partners to bring a health, well-being and equity lens to planning. This includes work related to the Official Plan, the new Zoning By-law, the Transportation Master Plan, Climate Ready Ottawa, the 10-Year Housing and Homelessness Plan and other plans that guide how communities grow and how people get around.  

These planning decisions affect our health and well-being in everyday ways, including how safely we can walk or bike, how easily we can reach services, how connected we feel to our neighbours, and how prepared our communities are for climate change.  

The City’s new Official Plan is a long-term guide for how Ottawa will grow. It sets out where roads, buildings, and services can go and how land can be used. The Plan includes policy direction to support healthy, inclusive and resilient communities, with 15-minute neighbourhoods as the framework for growth. 

Want to learn more? Check out our infographic about how the Official Plan supports health. You can also read The Building Blocks for a Healthy Ottawa, to learn more about what makes communities healthier.  

The Building Blocks for a Healthy Ottawa  

Nature and Climate Change:   

Parks, trees, and green spaces are an important part of healthy neighbourhoods. They support physical and mental health, help people stay active and connected, and play a key role in protecting communities from climate change. 

How Nature Supports Health 

  • Parks, trees, and green spaces help clean and cool the air, provide shade, support physical activity, and improve mental health.  
  • Green spaces with trees can block noise and wind while making neighbourhoods cooler and the air cleaner.  
  • Natural spaces help reduce stress, anger, sadness, and fatigue, and boost happiness and energy.  
  • Green spaces offer children places to play and older adults welcoming places to relax, stay active and connect with others. The 2025 Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play (AOP10) highlights the connections between active outdoor play and significant individual, population, and community health benefits. 

Health Impacts of Climate Change 

  • Climate change is expected to bring warmer, wetter and wilder weather. to Ottawa.   
  • Health impacts from climate change are from extreme heat, diseases spread by ticks and mosquitoes, illnesses from food and water, smoke from wildfires and harmful UV rays from the thinning ozone layer.  
  • Extreme heat can lead to heat-related illnesses such as dehydration, heat exhaustion, heat stroke and can even result in death. 
  • Warmer seasons create favourable habitats and increase the range for mosquitoes and ticks and can lead to Lyme disease, Powassan virus, Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, and West Nile virus. 
  • Changes from precipitation, temperature, and extreme weather can impacting food and water safety, leading to an increased risk of food- and waterborne illness due to contamination.  
  • Wildfire frequency, severity, and distribution will change because of a warming climate. Wildfire smoke can reach Ottawa from across the Country. 
  • Warmer seasons in Ottawa mean people may spend more time outdoors, increasing their exposure to the sun’s UV radiation.  Excessive UV exposure is linked with sunburns and skin cancers. 
  • Ottawa residents may face higher health risks from climate change because of factors like age, income, job type, housing, ethnicity, and existing health conditions. 
  • Urban areas are often hotter than places with trees and water due to the urban heat island effect, which occurs when buildings, roads, and parking lots absorb heat during the day and release it at night. 

Did You Know?  

  • Extreme heat leads to approximately 112 emergency room visits and nine heat related‑ hospitalizations in Ottawa hospitals each summer (including dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke). 
  • The rate of Lyme disease infections among Ottawa residents has more than tripled over the last decade. 
  • Giardiasis was the most frequently reported water-borne illness among Ottawa residents in 2024 
  • Ottawa’s air quality is usually very good and can be checked online here.  
  • A 2°C rise in temperature could lead to a 10 per cent increase in melanoma (skin cancer) cases across Canada. 
  • Urban heat island data and other Ottawa datasets, that reflect our built environments, can be interactively explored on geoOttawa  
  • Parks and green spaces play an important role in helping Ottawa stay healthy and resilient as the climate changes.  
  • Hotter weather increases the risk of heat related‑ deaths in cities, especially for people without air conditioning or other ways to stay cool. 

Addressing Climate Change and Health in Ottawa 

Climate change is already affecting health in Ottawa, and Ottawa Public Health plays an important role in helping people understand the risks and supporting actions that help protect communities. 

Climate resiliency is how well we adapt in response to climate conditions now and in the future.  

Addressing climate change involves two types of actions: mitigation and adaptation.  

  • Mitigation focuses on reducing pollution from sources such as transportation and buildings to help slow down climate change and limit future impacts.     
  • Adaptation focuses on preparing for changes that are already happening, such as extreme heat and weather and finding ways to stay safe and healthy.  

Ottawa Public Health has studied how climate change affects the health of people living in Ottawa, including impacts related to:  

  • Extreme heat  
  • Diseases spread by ticks and mosquitoes 
  • Illnesses from food and water  
  • Smoke from wildfires  
  • Harmful UV rays from the thinning ozone layer  

Ottawa Public Health worked with over 90 community partners to better understand how climate change affects health across Ottawa’s population. This infographic highlights key findings and identifies actions that can help reduce health risks and support community resilience as the climate changes.   

To learn more about Ottawa Public Health’s work on climate change and health, you can read reports from 2019 and  2025. You can also learn more about how the City of Ottawa is preparing for climate impacts through the City of Ottawa’s 2025 Climate Ready Ottawa Strategy and Ottawa Public Health’s Environmental Health  webpage. 

Resources  

  • Region of Waterloo: Video: Shade Matters (Available in English Only)  

Transportation

Safe streets and well-designed transportation systems make it easier, safer and more enjoyable to walk, bike, wheel or take public transit to get around. Transportation choices and street design play an important role in everyday health, safety, and access to opportunities. 

Sidewalks, Traffic, and Safety  

  • Sidewalk design, traffic speed, shade, and access to places to rest all effect how safe and comfortable it is to walk, bike, or wheel.  
  • Neighbourhoods with less traffic or slower traffic and well-connected walking and biking routes help promote physical activity, prevent injuries, and save lives.  
  • Safe and direct routes to school make it easier for more children to walk, bike or wheel. 

Health Impacts  

  • Road design and travel choices affect health by influencing air quality, physical activity levels and how easily people can reach jobs, schools, services, and social activities.  
  • Barriers faced by some, including older adults, can make walking, biking, wheeling or using public transit more difficult and increase the risk of injury.  
  • People walking, wheeling or biking are more likely to be injured or killed in traffic collisions than people traveling by car, highlighting the importance of safe street design. 

Why This Matters for Planning 

  • Planning decisions related to land use, transportation, and community design can influence how people move around their community. Neighbourhoods that encourage people to walk, bike, wheel, or take public transit more easily than driving a motor vehicle help support individual, population, and community health. 

Did You Know?  

  • More frequent freezing and melting caused by climate change can make sidewalks and roads slippery, and falls remain the leading cause of emergency room visits for injury.  
  • In 2024, there were 218 collisions involving pedestrians and 123 collisions involving cyclists in Ottawa.  
  • Between 2019 and 2023, cyclist collisions resulted in 62 people being killed or seriously injured. 
  • Between 2019 and 2023, there were 153 collisions involving pedestrians that resulted in a fatality or major injury 
  • While car travel dominates overall transportation in Ottawa, increasing rates of walking and biking since 2011 show that more people are choosing active travel for short trips in their neighbourhoods.   

Resources  

Food 

Access to safe, nutritious, affordable and culturally relevant food is an important part of healthy neighbourhoods. Where food is grown, sold, and distributed, and how easy it is to access, can influence physical health, mental well-being, and equity.  

How Neighbourhoods Affect Food Access 

  • Neighbourhoods with nearby grocery stores, markets, and food programs make it easier for residents to access food on a regular basis. 
  • Long distances to food stores, limited transportation options, and a lack of nearby services can make it harder for people to afford and obtain nutritious food. 
  • Food access challenges can increase stress and contribute to health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. 

Health and Equity Impacts 

  • Food insecurity in Ottawa affects over 1 in 4 households, meaning they may not have enough income to cover basic living costs, including food. 
  • Children, as well as Black and Indigenous communities continue to be disproportionately affected by household food insecurity.   
  • About 21% of neighbourhoods in Ottawa have limited access to nearby grocery stores or nutritious food options. 
  • Inadequate access to nutritious food can affect physical health, mental health, child development, and overall quality of life. 

Why this Matters for Planning 

  • Planning decisions related to land use, transportation, and community design can influence where food stores, markets, and community food programs can be, and are, located — and how easily people can access them. Planning decisions can also ensure there are enough people living in an area to make food and grocery stores economically viable.  Neighbourhoods that support access to nutritious food help reduce health inequities and support overall community wellbeing. 

Resources  

Housing  

Safe, affordable, and suitable housing is a foundation of health and well-being. Housing location, affordability, and neighbourhood context all influence physical health, mental well-being, and people’s ability to meet their daily needs.  

How Housing and Neighbourhoods affect Health 

  • Stable and affordable housing helps protect both physical and mental health by reducing stress and supporting a sense of security. 
  • Neighbourhoods that offer access to services, green spaces, transportation, and community supports help people feel connected and included. 
  • Housing that is poorly located or unaffordable can limit access to food, healthcare, education, social and economic opportunities.  

Health Impacts  

  • Affordable housing allows families to spend more money on healthy food, recreation, transportation and social connections. 
  • Problems like racism, poverty, colonialism, sexism, homophobia, and ableism can make it harder for some people to find and keep safe, affordable housing. These problems affect groups such as low‑income families, newcomers, single‑parent families, Indigenous peoples, 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, people with disabilities, and racialized communities. Poor or unstable housing can harm a person’s physical and mental health.  
  • Inadequate housing conditions increase the risk for children and affect their growth, development, and long-term well-being. 
  •  Climate-related events such as flooding, strong winds, and extreme heat are increasing risks of damaged homes and disrupted housing stability. 
  • Rising temperatures increase the risk of indoor overheating, particularly in taller buildings with no air conditioning, which can contribute to heat-related illness. 
  • Preparing homes and neighbourhoods for a changing climate is an important part of protecting health, especially for older adults and people with existing health conditions. 

Did You Know?  

  • The 2024 Housing Needs Assessment reports that in 2021, a total of 44,410 households were in core housing need, with 14.6% in the very low-income category, 69.2% in low income, 14.5% in moderate income, and 1.7% in median income.  
  • By 2035, the proportion of households in core housing need is expected to increase in the very low-income category (to 22%), while decreasing in the low (to 66%), moderate (to 11%), and median (to 1%) income categories. 
  • The 2024 Housing Needs Assessment also finds that low-income renters are facing increasing affordability pressures, with nearly one-quarter (23.3%) in core housing need. 
  • Extreme heat and other climate impacts are increasing pressure on housing systems and affecting the health of people living in inadequately cooled or damaged homes.  

Why this Matters for Planning 

Planning related to land use, housing supply, transportation, and community services influence where homes are built, who can afford to live in them, and how well neighbourhoods support health. Walkable, 15-minute neighbourhoods that provide a range of housing options, along with access to services and supports, help reduce health inequities and strengthen community resilience. 

Resources  

Designing 15-Minute Neighbourhoods: 

Neighbourhood design affects how places look and feel, how people choose to get around, and how easily they can meet their daily needs. Well-designed neighbourhoods support health and well-being by making it easier for people to move around safely, stay connected, and access what they need closer to home. 

Ottawa’s approach to healthy, walkable 15-minute neighbourhoods focuses on creating complete communities where people of all ages and abilities can walk, bike, wheel or take transit to meet most daily needs – such as shops, schools, parks, services, and community spaces – within a short trip from home.  

Neighbourhood Design  

  • Neighbourhood design influences whether people choose to walk, bike, wheel, take transit, or drive. 
  • Public spaces that are easy to reach and use help make communities lively, welcoming, and enjoyable to live in.  
  • Neighbourhoods designed for people of all ages — from children to older adults — include a mix of housing options, safe ways to get around, and places where people can meet and spend time together.  
  • Neighbourhoods with a mix of housing, shops, schools, green spaces, and public transit make daily activities easier to access, support physical activity, and strengthen social connections. 

Health Impacts  

  • Walkable and complete communities help people stay active, connect with others, and support both physical and mental well-being. 
  • Strong social connections are linked to better health, lower stress, and improved quality of life. 
  • Regular physical activity helps reduce the impact of or prevent many chronic diseases (e.g., type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, some cancers) and premature death and improve quality of life and physical functioning (e.g., strength, balance, endurance). 

Did You Know?  

To understand current conditions and identify where neighbourhoods may evolve over time, the City created a baseline report that maps access to services and the walking environment across Ottawa. 

  • The baseline helps the City understand how neighbourhoods are functioning today and where there are opportunities to improve access to daily needs and strengthen local walkability as communities change and grow. 
  • The mapping looked at two things: (1) access to services and amenities from homes and (2) how safe and enjoyable it is to walk to them. 
  • The study does not draw fixed boundaries or assume everyone will walk everywhere. Instead, it supports planning by showing where walking can be a realistic option and where improvements could help neighbourhoods evolve into more complete communities over time. 
  • The baseline includes destinations such as grocery stores, parks, retail services, bus stops, O‑Train stations, health services, community facilities (libraries and recreation centres), schools, and childcare. 

Why this Matters for Planning: 

  • Planning decisions that support complete, walkable, and inclusive neighbourhoods — including 15‑minute neighbourhoods — can improve health, reduce inequities, and help communities adapt to changing needs over time. Designing neighbourhoods that work well for children, older adults, and everyone in between helps create healthier places to live. 

Resources  

  • Inspiring Stories and Insights from: 8 80Cities: “We believe that if everything we do in our cities is great for an 8-year-old and an 80-year-old, then it will be great for all people.”  

How to Get Involved  

Ottawa Public Health is working with the City of Ottawa and community partners to support walking and biking, access to healthy food, ensuring people have the supports they need to remain housed, and sharing research and ideas that support healthier neighbourhoods.  

Health starts in our neighbourhoods. We can all play a role in creating communities that support health and well-being.    

Here are some ways you can get involved:  

  • Talk to friends, neighbours, and coworkers about how the built environment affects health and well-being.  
  • Share the My Community, My Health videos.  
  • Go to local community association meetings.  
  • Take part in City of Ottawa public engagement opportunities.  
  • Follow Ottawa Public Health and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Bluesky. 

 

 

Contact Us