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    Home > Resource hub > Creating healthy liveable neighbourhoods

Creating healthy liveable neighbourhoods

This project reviewed state-based urban planning policies across five liveability domains (alcohol, food, public open space, transport, walkability) and explored the relationships between these policies and health outcomes. Download the Findings Brief PDF to learn how important liveability measures are for health.
  • Creating healthy liveable neighbourhoods

    Resource category:

    Findings Brief Findings Brief

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Key messages

  • This project aimed to improve understanding of how the design of urban environments can help deliver better health outcomes. Previously, there was little research into how liveability influenced health and wellbeing, and even less on how best to measure the liveability of cities.
  • It reviewed relevant state-based urban planning policies across five liveability domains (alcohol, food, public open space, transport, walkability) and explored the relationships between these policies and health outcomes.
  • The project was the first in the world to explore associations between access to alcohol and self-rated health, and it developed a new way of measuring access to both healthy and unhealthy food.
  • The team created liveability measures across the five domains that policy makers can use to plan urban areas that promote health, for example:
    • The recommended ratio to promote health is no more than one fast food outlet for every four supermarkets/green grocers
    • Public transport stops within 400m of homes and with at least two services per hour were associated with greater levels of walking for transport.
  • The project developed a set of indicators that can be used to benchmark and monitor progress towards creating liveable communities that promote health and reduce health inequities.
  • This set of measures is intended to be a tool for anyone involved in creating healthy neighbourhoods, such as governments, developers, public health planners, and researchers.

Associated content

  • Online tool maps liveability across Australia’s cities

    News Category: Prevention Centre News
    Date 09 Aug 2018
    In the distance, a city at sunset. In the foreground, many roofs of suburban housing.
  • New online tool to compare liveability of individual addresses

    News Category: Prevention Centre News
    Date 24 Jul 2017
    A row of parked bicycles in a street
Details

DATE 8 Jun 2017

TYPE Findings Brief

Prevention experts

  • Dr Hannah Badland Dr Hannah Badland has finished working with the Prevention Centre.

    RMIT University
    Headshot of Hannah Badland
  • Dr Jonathan Arundel Dr Jonathan Arundel has finished working with the Prevention Centre.

    RMIT University
    Headshot of Dr Jonathan Arundel
  • Dr Lucy Gunn

    RMIT University
    Headshot of Lucy Gunn
  • Distinguished Professor Billie Giles-Corti

    RMIT University
    Headshot of Billie Giles-Corti
  • Dr Suzanne Mavoa

    GIS lead, RMIT University

Topics

  • Liveability ,

Prevention methodologies

  • New methods and tools ,

Related projects

  • Creating liveable cities and healthy communities

    North and south view of the Yarra river in Melbourne
  • Developing the tools to map and measure urban liveability across Australia

    Birds-eye view of suburbia

Related resources

  • How we can create healthier, liveable cities

    Resource category: Videos Videos
    Date 11 Mar 2021
  • The power of planning to improve health in entire communities

    Resource category: Podcasts Podcasts
    Date 04 Jun 2018
  • How city design affects our health

    Resource category: Videos Videos
    Date 23 Oct 2014
  • How city design affects our health

    Resource category: Videos Videos
    Date 23 Oct 2014
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More resources

  • Community of practice: Scaling the voice of older adults

    Resource category: Videos Videos
    Date 15 Mar 2023
  • Importance of healthy liveable cities

    Resource category: Findings Brief Findings Brief
    Date 15 Dec 2022
  • Citizen science for prevention case study series

    Resource category: Reports Reports
    Date 08 Dec 2022

Acknowledgement of Country

The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work.

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Funding Partners

The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre is funded by the NHMRC, Australian Government Department of Health, ACT Health, Cancer Council Australia, NSW Ministry of Health, Wellbeing SA, Tasmanian Department of Health, and VicHealth. The Australian Government also contributed through the Medical Research Future Fund. Queensland Health became a financial contributor in 2022. The Prevention Centre is administered by the Sax Institute.

©2023 The Sax Institute.

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