Our latest work with Sport England, shaping new illustrative place examples that bring Active Design principles to life, are now published on their website. These new resources offer clear, practical guidance on how to embed physical activity into urban spaces, supporting healthier, more active communities.
As planners and urban designers, we recognise that great places don’t just happen, they are created through a commitment to high quality design, evidence led thinking, and policy driven decision making. This latest work builds on our longstanding relationship with Sport England, reinforcing their mission to ensure activity is integrated into the places where people live, work, and play
The 3 new illustrative place examples translate the Active Design principles into real world contexts, providing adaptable models that can be applied across different development scales and settings:
Change Over Time: Focuses on how existing places can evolve through low cost, and non-permanent interventions. It highlights strategies for retrofitting activity-friendly infrastructure, improving walkability, green spaces, and connections, and ensuring long-term adaptability in urban areas.
Waterfront Regeneration: Illustrates how rivers, lakes and the sea can be an active destination. Through public realm improvements, better access to physical activity space, and active travel routes, this example shows how to enhance movement and wellbeing within existing assets.
Urban Park: Demonstrates how new development in an existing area can provide an opportunity to enhance and improve existing assets for to maximise everyday activity and benefit surrounding facilities.
The illustrative places offer best practice approaches to integrating activity into urban environments through adaptable, evidence-based design solutions for different development types, with clear interventions that outline how Active Design principles can be successfully embedded into planning and urban design frameworks. The resources can be viewed on the Sport England website: Sport England Active Design Resources.
For more information about our work on Active Design and healthy placemaking, please get in touch.