Increased access to parks, public transportation, shops and other services means more exercise and better health for people living in new housing developments, according to a new study in the journal Social Science & Medicine.
University of Melbourne researchers looked at the overall health of housing development residents over 10 years, finding they walked more when there were more destinations available. They determined that each local shop increased average physical activity by 5-6 of walker per week, and each recreational facility ” such as a park or a beach” produced an additional 21 minutes of walking per week.
“This means that where there is an environment that supports walking with access to multiple facilities residents walked much more,” said lead researcher Professor Billie Giles-Corti, Director of the university’s McCaughey VicHealth Centre for Community Wellbeing.
Read more at Walk It Out: Urban Design Plays Key Role in Creating Healthy Cities.
