Active environments – more than ‘a nice to have’

Decisions about where new homes are built, how streets are laid out and whether parks, pavements and public transport are prioritised, all play a role in shaping how active people can be in their daily lives.

Yet too often, physical activity is seen as a leisure issue, rather than a systemic one rooted in spatial planning, social justice and public health.

To effectively embed physical activity into our environments and daily routines must be a shared ambition across sectors and professions – from planning and transport, to health and housing, as well as for leisure and open-space management.

Want to go out to play?

For example, it is no use creating miles of cycle paths if we are creating homes and town centres without space for secure cycle storage, not providing opportunities for our children to learn to ride bikes through programmes like Bikeability, or addressing poor attitudes towards cycling and reducing traffic speeds so that people (especially parents and caregivers) feel it is safe to ride even short distances.

Equally, we cannot expect our children to play out, like many of us used to do back in the day, if their neighbourhood streets and doorstep places are full of parked cars (too often on pavements) and moving traffic.

Research shows that basic, free outdoor play has fallen to its lowest level ever, with now only one in four children playing outside regularly compared to their grandparents’ generation, where almost three-quarters played outside on a regular basis.

Too often when we think about play in neighbourhoods, we default to thinking about structured activity and providing spaces that are designated and equipped.

Whilst play parks are important assets for all neighbourhoods, the doorstep and immediate street is also critical, and importantly, a space for children to play on a daily basis.

Accessible, safe street space is the most inclusive step we could take to make places more active and friendly for children, meaning we need to grapple with car and parking-centric design.

All of this is why a systems approach is needed – one that listens to communities, addresses inequalities and prioritises long-term health outcomes in decisions about land usage and investment.

Active environments cannot be a ‘nice to have’; they must be seen as essential infrastructure for a healthier, more equitable future.

The Town and Country Planning Association works to make homes, places and communities in which everyone can thrive.

We work to influence and shape the planning system at the national and local level, but we recognise the multi-dimensional nature of place-making and how places and spaces are shaped by communities and can be ‘activated’ for activity.

For the last six years, in a partnership with Sport England, we have worked to create healthier, more active communities, building knowledge and capacity with partners and local authorities and advocating for health and activity to be embedded in planning policy.