NHS London Healthy Urban Development Unit (HUDU)

The NHS London Healthy Urban Development Unit (HUDU) was established in February 2004, in partnership with the London Development Agency, the Regional Public Health Group - London, and the five London NHS Strategic Health Authorities. It was set up to address the need for the health community to engage more effectively with the urban planning agenda in London to ensure that new communities were truly sustainable.

HUDU is made up of a team of 3 town planners offering support to the health sector to facilitate active engagement in the urban planning and regeneration agenda for London.

The work of the Unit has been arranged around three core objectives:

1. To develop partnerships for health
2. To influence the London urban planning agenda
3. To influence urban development across London

The London Development Agency is the only Regional Development Agency in England to have the promotion of health improvement and sustainable development as a statutory responsibility.

HUDU is working in partnership with the LDA to assist in realising both the Economic Development Strategy's key objective to create healthy sustainable communities and also to support the strategy's cross-cutting theme of health.