How might our cities change if we planned parks with public health at the centre of every decision?
In this episode, host Maria Burnett speaks with Humera Sultan, a Consultant in Public Health at Birmingham City Council and a National Institute of Health Research Doctoral Research Fellow. Humera brings a health focused perspective to nature planning, shaped through her work leading the Naturally Birmingham project and contributing to the city’s 25 year City of Nature Plan.
Humera shares how public health tools, community insights and long term thinking can help cities design greener and healthier environments. She also discusses her PhD research, which explores how funding for Birmingham’s more than 400 parks has changed from 2013 to 2024, and what this means for equity, access and community wellbeing.
This conversation highlights the value of cross agency collaboration, the importance of evidence in nature planning and the role of green spaces in supporting mental health, physical activity and social connection.
Highlights include:
- How public health perspectives can strengthen citywide nature planning
- What Birmingham learned while creating its 25 year City of Nature Plan
- Insights from Humera’s research into funding, equity and park quality
- The relationship between green space and community wellbeing
- Why partnerships across sectors lead to stronger long term outcomes
Whether you work in health, planning, or park management, this conversation offers a new perspective on why nature belongs at the centre of every wellbeing strategy.\
Resources
🔗Connecting health and green spaces through Movement Data | ActiveXchange
🔗 Environmental Justice Webinar 20211123 130439 Meeting Recording
🔗Sultan H, Grayson N, Jones S, Pike D, Greenham S, Needle D, Sadler J, Frew E. Green space and environmental justice—a new metric to guide resource allocation in improving the amount and quality of green space. TCP Journal 2023. 92 (6). Available at Nov-Dec23.pdf
Featured Guests
Humera Sultan, Consultant in Public Health at Birmingham City Council and NIHR Doctoral Local Authority Fellow
Feedback
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Or if you’d like to share your perspectives or stories about this episode, or contact us for any reason, you can email Maria Burnett (host) and the team at research@worldurbanparks.org.
About PodParks
PodParks is the official podcast of World Urban Parks. Hosted by Maria Burnett, each episode shares real stories and bold ideas from the people making parks, public space, and urban nature more inclusive, innovative, and essential.
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Maria Burnett | Luis Romahn | Vitoria Martín Delgado | Vladimir Yañez Huehpa| Cynthia Hernández Martínez| Boris Solis
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