Essay: Affordable infrastructure

How strategic authorities can use housing and public transport to tackle health inequalities

This essay was written by the Centre for Local Economic Strategies and The King’s Fund, as part of a programme of work commissioned by The Health Foundation.

Housing and public transport are critical determinants of health. Strategic Authorities (SAs) are uniquely positioned to influence the affordability of homes and transport – the levers available to them offer promising potential to reduce health inequalities, particularly for those on the lowest incomes.

This essay draws on conversations with mayors and SA officers to highlight how innovative housing and transport policies like municipal housebuilding and bus franchising can be scaled and amplified to achieve greater impact on narrowing health inequalities.