Can health impact assessment influence policies relating to green spaces in urban areas?

Growing urbanisation in the last decades and the increase in population density have significantly contributed to lessening contacts between people and nature. In response to this phenomenon, the consideration given to the role played by nature in urban environments has increased uninterruptedly, supported by the social demand for a greener urban environment. Health impact assessment is an approach aimed at anticipating the consequences of policies, projects or laws on health, prior to their implementation, and offering suggestions for readjustments that limit negative impacts and reinforce positive ones. It has been developing in France since 2010 mostly in connection with urban planning projects in which green space development is an important feature. This article examines HIA's capacity to influence urban planning choices and policies to make them greener, fairer and more beneficial to health.