Healthy Places
About Us
The Healthy Places Working Group is looking at the links between good design and good places and people’s health and wellbeing. As stated in Article 25(1) of the UN Declaration of Human Rights:
Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
Get Involved
If you are interested in getting involved with the network, you can sign up to the Healthy Places Working group by filling in our Supporter Form.
Contact: debbie.sorkin@leadershipcentre.org.uk
THE BIGÂ MEET 6: Healthy Places was held on Wednesday 19 of October 2016
News
The Group has recently finalised a MANIFESTO FOR HEALTHY PLACES (Apr 2016), which was included in the papers for the Big Meet 6 on 19th October 2016 and also presented as evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee.  The Manifesto sets out a clear rationale for why we need to focus on the need for healthy places; provides a clear statement of aims as to what we want the Manifesto to achieve; and describes ten core principles that underpin the design of healthy places, ranging from strategic focus, co-design and involvement of people and communities, making it easier for people to make healthy choices, and investing in public spaces.
There is solid evidence that well-designed places have a positive effect on people’s mental health, and that places that are designed to be safe, attractive spaces can be powerful drivers in getting people to be physically active and taking exercise on a regular basis. We also know that badly-designed homes, prone to cold and damp, have a direct and adverse effect on people’s physical health. We aim to draw together the evidence, promote it across people with an interest in the built environment, and to make links with people in health, social care and public health. Some recent examples of publications linking design, planning and health: