Walkability is one of the clearest indicators of a healthy society, and it is shaped by urban planning and design. Walkability for health is a framework and evaluation method that connects health status, planning, design and architecture to measure how well a place supports walking and cycling.
It sets 12 interconnected goals across social, health, economic and environmental sectors, grouped into urban health, urban planning, and architecture and urban design, and uses more than 50 data points from neighbourhood environments.
Why it matters
Health systems are built around treatment rather than prevention: 65% of diseases are avoidable and linked to lifestyle, yet receive 3% of health spending. The built environment shapes those lifestyles directly, through air, water and land pollution, and indirectly, through how easy it is to walk, eat well and meet people.
Research objectives
- Urban health: non-communicable disease loads and their relation to demographics and neighbourhood environments.
- Urban planning: density, diversity and design: the micro-urban form that creates short distances.
- Architecture and urban design: path use, safety, comfort and aesthetics that affect walking.
The aim is to move cities from a pathogenic model to a salutogenic one, with planning that promotes health instead of waiting for illness.