Blueprint for an Active Australia

Action area 5: Built environments

Authors: Tracy Kolbe-Alexander, Anna Timperio, Jenny Veitch, Anthony Kimpton, Susan Paudel, Hayley Christian, Michael Slee, Natalia Krysiak

Strategic priorities

Key strategic built environment priorities to support physical activity:

• Embed healthy planning principles and minimum thresholds for built environment indicators of active living into policy, regulation and practice at all levels of government.
• Strengthen collaboration across land use, transport, health and infrastructure sectors, including multidisciplinary teams involved in the planning and design of healthy built environments, guided by evidence-informed policy guidelines.

Sustainable Development Goals

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals¹ that relate to built environments to support physical activity include:

For more information see Appendix 1

Well-designed public spaces and neighbourhood centres encourage residents to engage in physical activity and promote social connections.⁵

International research has identified the urban design thresholds at which people are more likely to walk for transport. These include neighbourhoods with: ³

• more than 5,700 people per km²
• 100 street intersections per km²
• 25 public transport stops per km²
• parks close by.

These urban design features also increase the likelihood of people meeting physical activity guidelines.^3,6

Consider the supporting evidence:

• Compact (high density) and walkable neighbourhoods, towns and cities support physical activity, which in turn reduces the risk of non-communicable diseases.⁶ Fifteen-minute cities and 20-minute neighbourhoods, characterised by increased walkability, urban density and land use mix, ensure that most daily needs are accessible by active or public transport.^7,8 An Australian study showed that 20 minutes equates with walking 800 m to reach destinations,⁸ and a benchmark of 35 dwellings per hectare over a 1 km radius is required to promote active transport.⁸ Co-benefits of 15/20‑minute cities/neighbourhoods include improvements in community connections, and reduced loneliness.^3,9 Furthermore, the economic benefits of high density neighbourhoods include increased local employment and retail trade.¹⁰ However, the evidence indicates that ‘more is not always better’: increases in urban density and connectivity are associated with higher walking levels up to an optimal range, after which additional gains are limited. Indicative upper thresholds are around 21,000–22,000 people/km², 334–356 intersections/km² and 60 public transport stops/km².³
• Many cities, including Melbourne, have adopted 20‑minute neighbourhoods as part of efforts to ‘build back better’, a shift accelerated by the COVID‑19 pandemic, when lockdowns made local neighbourhoods central to daily life, these planning policies incorporate improved standards that support better health outcomes.^9,11-13
• Urban greening and streetscapes with good tree canopy cover provide attractive settings for walking and are associated with increased physical activity,^14,15 mental health and wellbeing.^6,16-18 Greenspace also mitigates the effects of climate change by absorbing greenhouse gas emissions and reducing urban heat island effects.⁶ Tree canopies help to decrease UV exposure, making walking and cycling more comfortable and sun smart,^19,20 and shade also plays a role in urban cooling, and can reduce surface temperatures by up to 19°C.²⁰ Co-benefits of greenspaces are that they provide venues for social gatherings and opportunities for contact with nature which also support mental health.²¹
• Parks provide spaces for physical activity and recreation for all age groups.^22-24 Well-designed and maintained spaces, such as off leash dog exercise areas, playgrounds, and outdoor exercise equipment support increased numbers of park visitors and encourage social cohesion. This increases the sense of place and social connectedness and reduces loneliness.^22,24,25
• Walkable or cyclable urban design supports mode shifts from motorised vehicles to active and public transport and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Internationally, motorised transport contributes approximately 24% of greenhouse gas emissions in cities.6 Reducing motor vehicle use will help Australia to reduce emissions,^3,26 in line with the Australian Government’s Net Zero infrastructure and transport policy.²⁷ Fifteen/20-minute cities/neighbourhoods, with improved infrastructure for walking, bike riding and wheeling, will also decrease exposure to environmental stressors such as air and noise pollution.
• Infrastructure that supports safe walking, wheeling, and bike riding encourages engagement in active transport and physical activity.^18,28,29 Perceptions of safety should be considered when designing public spaces and pathways to support transport and recreational walking and bike riding. This is especially important for women, girls and gender diverse people who are less likely to spend time in public places, streets and transport hubs than men because they feel unsafe.³⁰ Research shows that one in two women do not feel safe walking home at night, compared with one in five men.³¹ Crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) (including closed-circuit TV, lighting, sight lines, active street frontages, passive surveillance and attractive features) reduces both perceived and reported crime, resulting in greater visitation and engagement in physical activity.^32,33 In turn, increased visitation provides more ‘eyes on the street’ or natural surveillance which, may improve perceived and actual safety.³⁴

• Dedicated infrastructure for walking and bike riding for both transport and recreation is increasing in some parts of Australia. Infrastructure in many states and jurisdictions provides dedicated walking and bike riding networks that connect local street networks, off-road bike paths, and secure bike parking at transit hubs. This infrastructure investment plays a vital role in promoting daily physical activity. Examples include the GoldLinQ bike shelters at key locations along the new Gold Coast light rail system,³⁵ and the 90 km foreshore walking and riding path from Sydney Opera House to Parramatta Park in NSW.³⁶
• Across Australia, a number of states and councils have embraced the 15/20‑minute city/neighbourhood principles. For example, NSW’s Greater Sydney Region Plan³⁷ aims for higher-order (specialist) goods, services, and workplaces to be reached within 30-minutes by any mode. Similarly, Victoria’s Plan Melbourne incorporates the 20-minute neighbourhood which aims for everyday goods, services, and recreation to be reached in 20 minutes by active or public transport.³⁸ Some recent council plans have 20‑minute city and 10‑minute neighbourhood principles underpinning their transport planning aims, for example, iGO: City of Ipswich Transport Strategy.³⁹
• The availability of open access platforms and data like OpenStreetMap and Global Human Settlement Layer support policy makers to explore spatial indicators including street connectivity, speeds, and conditions that may then be used in urban planning to address inequities in health, plan supportive environments and monitor interventions.^6,40 Furthermore, the Global Healthy and Sustainable City Indicator, an integrated open-source toolkit, has recently been developed to support local councils and stakeholders to calculate urban indicators for their cities and towns.⁴⁰
• The Australian Urban Observatory assesses liveability in 8 capital and 13 regional cities, representing approximately 70% of the population of Australia.⁴¹ Scorecards have been produced for each city, based on indicators such as social infrastructure, walkability, transport, public open space and housing. These scorecards provide city-wide results, facilitating intra-city comparison, and informing policy implementation and evaluation.⁴¹
• Outdoor fitness equipment installed in parks offers free and accessible opportunities for people of all ages and from different cultural backgrounds to engage in physical activity. These installations have been shown to increase park visitation and overall physical activity levels.^42,43 The installation of new children’s playgrounds forming part of a park refurbishment in Melbourne resulted in increased moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity among children.⁴⁴
• Community skateparks provide inclusive, youth-friendly spaces that promote physical activity, skill development, and social engagement.⁴⁵ They serve as important community hubs and help diversify opportunities for movement, particularly among adolescents. For example, Junction Skate and BMX Park in Hawthorn, Melbourne, offers free introductory skateboard, scooter and BMX lessons for all skill levels, private lessons, repair stations, a youth development program and safety lessons for schools.⁴⁶ It is recognised as a key space for community building, physical activity, and youth engagement.
• South Australia’s Active Travel by Design Guide offers design principles tailored for integrated active travel and green infrastructure development.⁴⁷ It supports practitioners to enhance design outcomes for walking and wheeling, simplifying the process of designing for active travel and promoting uniformity in outcomes across South Australia.

Policy, practice and leadership

• Embed physical activity into all planning frameworks by establishing minimum standards, measurable targets and clear thresholds (e.g. density, intersection connectivity, lighting, tree canopy, safety).^6,40,48
• Align with national targets such as those in the National Preventive Health Strategy,⁴⁹ ensuring planning codes and regulations explicitly support active living.
• Accelerate safety-focused policies that improve natural surveillance, road safety for people walking, wheeling and bike riding, and equitable access to public spaces. Safe infrastructure encourages active transport,28,29 and crime prevention through environmental design increases visitation and physical activity.^32,33
• Position health as a core outcome of urban and transport planning, ensuring equitable access to active environments for all communities. Compact, walkable neighbourhoods support physical activity and reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases.^2,6

Urban design and planning

• Promote coordinated, compact and connected communities through co-designed neighbourhoods that are vibrant, liveable and inclusive, with high-quality public and green spaces. Compact, walkable neighbourhoods support physical activity,6-8 and greener streetscapes are associated with more walking.^14,15
• Strengthen multi-sector collaboration (planners, transport, health, infrastructure, non-governmental organisations, researchers) to co‑develop evidence-based planning and design tools, guidelines and educational resources.⁴
• Expand inclusive participation and co-design processes, embedding lived experience and cultural perspectives – including those of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and culturally and linguistically diverse communities across life stages and geographies.^6,28,50
• Prioritise accessible public and green spaces within walking distance of homes, connected by safe walking, cycling, wheeling and public transport networks. Parks close to home increase walking for transport3 and provide spaces for physical activity for all age groups.^22-24
• Reallocate road space to prioritise active and micro-mobility modes, with convenient and safe road crossings and multimodal transport hubs.⁵¹
• Create people-centred neighbourhoods where streets and spaces become safe and attractive, creating destinations that encourage movement and belonging. Well-designed public spaces and neighbourhood centres encourage physical activity and social connection.⁵
• Promote mixed-use development that brings housing, jobs and services closer together, reduces car dependence and supports everyday physical activity through active travel. A mix of land uses is linked to higher physical activity,^3,4 and 15/20minute neighbourhoods put most daily needs within reach by active or public transport.^7,8

Workforce

• Build planning and design capacity by embedding active living principles into professional education, ongoing training and cross-sector placements.⁵²
• Grow a skilled workforce that integrates health, sustainability and liveability into the DNA of urban planning and infrastructure delivery.⁵²

Research, data and innovation

• A review of the evidence for this action area identified the following priorities for investment in research, data and innovation.
• Benchmark and map active living policies at local and regional levels using open-source geospatial data to track, compare and improve planning outcomes.^53,54
• Conduct health, environmental and economic assessments at scale to strengthen the evidence base for government investment in active environments.
• Evaluate variations in planning outcomes across states, cities and councils to inform standardised, measurable built environment targets.
• Leverage emerging technologies (artificial intelligence [AI], virtual reality [VR], mobile and geolocation data, environmental audits) to better understand mobility patterns and the impact of built environment interventions.^55,56
• Use participatory and natural experiment research designs to co-develop, test and evaluate built environment strategies that enhance physical activity.²⁸
• Harness data, innovation and lived experience to build stronger evidence for what works and to accelerate scaling up of active environment interventions.

Heart Foundation related information for built environments