Built and natural environments that enable physical activity

Built and natural environments influence physical activity not only through infrastructure, but through how people experience and use places in everyday life. In whole-system approaches, physical environments interact with other conditions such as community leadership, organisational collaboration and local cultures of movement. Improvements to infrastructure are most effective when they are shaped by local knowledge, integrated into wider planning systems, and supported by community engagement and ownership.

Access to safe, attractive and welcoming environments is unevenly distributed. Areas experiencing structural disadvantage may face neglected public spaces, derelict land or poor infrastructure, which can reduce perceptions of safety and limit opportunities for movement. Addressing these inequalities often requires long-term regeneration, cross-sector planning and sustained investment in the quality and accessibility of public spaces.

What this looks like in practice

Connecting existing assets: In Doncaster, investment connected a leisure centre and a country park that were geographically close but functionally disconnected. Improvements to access and shared facilities helped create a more integrated space supporting a range of physical activities.

Supporting community-led use of spaces: Community groups can play an important role in activating physical environments. In Doncaster, a small group of residents helped establish a pétanque club in a local park, which quickly grew in membership. Increased usage improved perceptions of safety and supported wider investment in the park.

Embedding physical activity into planning systems: In Exeter, physical activity has been integrated into planning and policy processes including the Exeter 2040 housing plan and the Exeter Local Plan. Active design principles have also been embedded into new housing developments.

Small infrastructure improvements shaped by community insight: Local communities can identify small but impactful improvements to the public realm, such as dropped kerbs, cycle access and removal of barriers. These relatively small changes can significantly improve walking and cycling infrastructure.

Key considerations for local systems

To help practitioners translate this condition into practice, the page could include a short list of considerations:

• Designing environments with communities rather than for communities
• Integrating physical activity into planning, transport and housing policy
• Considering perceptions of safety as well as physical infrastructure
• Improving connectivity between existing assets such as parks, leisure centres and green corridors
• Supporting community ownership and stewardship of local spaces

There are some interesting case studies Doncaster and Exeter Place Partnerships that help bring this to life:

• Get Doncaster Moving – https://www.getdoncastermoving.org
• A place-based physical activity system including parks activation and active environments work.

• Live and Move Exeter – https://www.liveandmove.co.uk
• Programme linking planning, communities and physical activity across Exeter and Cranbrook.

Additional Resources

Sport England Active Design guidance

• Active Design provides 10 principles for designing places that encourage everyday movement, covering themes such as active travel, walkable communities, high-quality public spaces and connected networks of open spaces. This is widely used in planning, urban design and local authority policy to integrate physical activity into development decisions.

Natural England Green Infrastructure Framework

• The framework sets out national standards for green infrastructure, helping planners and local authorities determine the quantity, quality and accessibility of green space needed to support health, wellbeing and nature recovery. It also supports the policy ambition that everyone should be able to access green or blue space within a short walk of home.

Sport England – Active Environments Framework

• This provides broader guidance on how facilities, planning and investment decisions can support active environments.