Abstract

Application: The NHS, local authorities, primary care and public health are working with Space Syntax to explore interactions between urban form, care models and health outcomes in a city, and apply these to design-out poor health and design-in new care models in a new town. Looking at how people live their lives and the impact on their health creates an opportunity to shape health and housing planning locally and nationally, linking:

• An Integrated Urban Model (IUM) for Exeter and Cranbrook. This provides a model of the built environment, combining spatial data on streets, spaces, public transport, land-use and employment density, to measure accessibility, walkability and car dependence.
• A comprehensive health risk stratification model. The area-based measures from this Exeter model separate populations into high, low and rising risk groups for different health outcomes.

The Cranbrook planning team is using this to inform planning negotiations, underpin planning policy, and redesign the masterplan.

Outcomes: Analysis highlighted areas of Exeter with higher levels of frailty and ill health than predicted by their demographic and socio-economic profile. The IUM revealed that these areas shared characteristics of urban form and observed correlations with obesity. Consequently, planners have negotiated revised street layouts, changed locations of land uses, and increased housing density. The risk model is being rolled out across Devon. The next steps are to link data and evaluation processes locally, which will enable more detailed analysis to inform future build, street design and service provision.

Implications: The findings improve the housing and health planning evidence base, applying sustainable solutions to the “wider determinants of health” to improve health, wellbeing and quality of life, and reduce inequality. They present opportunities to improve planning processes, and the location and design of developments to create healthy, resilient places.