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    Home > Resource hub > Importance of healthy liveable cities

Importance of healthy liveable cities

We need policies implemented to create healthy, liveable communities for all. The impact of potential policy interventions can be simulated using sophisticated tools. This research shows cycling offers the most potential to achieve the 30-minute city.
  • Importance of healthy liveable cities

    Resource category:

    Findings Brief Findings Brief

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Key messages

  • Australia does not have sufficient policies to deliver healthy and liveable communities. Our research showed that people value walkability and liveability, and we created indicators for measuring these, however urban policies are not always implemented in local communities.
  • Planning policies and infrastructure are needed to help avoid disadvantage being suburbanised, and we developed advanced simulation modelling tools to explore the outcomes of urban interventions. This provides evidence when advocating for better policies, health and liveability.
  • We found that house prices are higher in more walkable neighbourhoods. These inequalities have financial and health impacts, especially for those of lower socioeconomic background.
  • We examined several possible interventions, including how the 30-minute city might best be achieved. Cycling offers more potential than walking, but investment in cycling infrastructure coupled with education programs are critical to influence uptake.
  • Developing further advanced simulation modelling can inform policies and assist with infrastructure planning. For example, investigating whether increasing access to public transport leads to more walking, and whether this is enhanced when population increases are allowed in strategic areas.

What next?

Planning policies must be implemented that address inequities in the built environment and create liveable, healthy communities for all. Further advanced simulation modelling, using more detailed local data and virtual populations, can inform policy and provide more cost-effective solutions.

Given the potential for cycling to achieve the 30-minute city, recommended starting points are to prioritise separate cycle paths within 5 km of train stations, activity centres and high schools, and to create opportunities for safe cycling within 2 km of primary schools.

Details

DATE 15 Dec 2022

TYPE Findings Brief

Prevention experts

  • Distinguished Professor Billie Giles-Corti

    RMIT University
    Headshot of Billie Giles-Corti
  • Dr Lucy Gunn

    RMIT University
    Headshot of Lucy Gunn
  • Dr Alan Both

    RMIT University
    Headshot of Alan Both
  • Professor Gavin Turrell

    Queensland University of Technology
    Headshot of Professor Gavin Turrell
  • Carl Higgs

    RMIT University
    Headshot of Carl Higgs
  • Associate Professor Melanie Davern

    RMIT University
    Headshot of Melanie Davern
  • Dr Afshin Jafari

    RMIT University
    headshot of Afshin Jafari
  • Dr Tayebeh Saghapour

    RMIT University

Topics

  • Liveability ,

Prevention methodologies

  • Making the case for prevention ,
  • Prevention in the health sector ,

Related projects

  • The importance of healthy liveable cities

    Birds-eye view of suburbia
  • Transport Health Assessment Tool (THAT) for Brisbane

    Pedestrian crossing push button

Related publications

Spatial and socioeconomic inequities in liveability in Australia's 21 largest cities: Does city size matter?

Achieving 'active' 30 minute cities: How feasible is it to reach work within 30 minutes using active transport modes?

Exploring inequities in housing affordability through an analysis of walkability and house prices by neighbourhood socioeconomic disadvantage

Related resources

  • Benchmarking, monitoring, modelling and valuing the healthy liveable city

    Resource category: Reports Reports
    Date 12 Aug 2022
  • Research seminar: Creating healthy liveable cities: The journey of a research program 

    Resource category: Videos Videos
    Date 14 Jul 2022
  • Australian Urban Observatory

    Resource category: Websites Websites
    Date 06 May 2020
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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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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.

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