A group of cities has banded together with a vision to change the way we think about cities and to make health the single, critical factor around how we plan our urban environment.
By putting health first in local plans communities would have much better success in delivering the other important objectives that cities aspire to achieve.
A study undertaken by the group of 22 cities in the UK says that "health in all policies”, known as HiAP, would for example ensure that policies on physical activity, zero pollution, and biodiversity were embedded in all strategies and planning frameworks.
Active travel would assume a major role in such planning: "Walking and cycling would be a feature of everyday life in the city of the future,” the report says.
"Sustainable travel is intrinsically linked to land use and built form and therefore, we should promote clusters of ‘15-20-minute neighbourhoods’ within an encompassing 30-45-minute town or city.
"Within this model, people can access all regular and important services within a 15-minute walk from where they live by walking, cycling, e-scooter, mobility scooter or wheelchair.
"People should also be able to travel into the centre, or anywhere else in their town or city, within a defined period by affordable public transport or another shared mode or service.
"Private car use will be more heavily discouraged (whilst acknowledging that for some groups this is the only affordable or feasible form of transport until viable alternatives are in place) and the road space that is liberated made available for alternative forms of travel.”
The study says that active travel is the prime mode of mobility in neighbourhoods and can be achieved by democratising our space; reducing, or costing appropriately, spaces for people to store their private vehicles; making more provision for storing bikes, being tougher on people who park cars and vans across pedestrian or cycle areas; and creating ‘parklets’ (places on streets where people can stop and enjoy) from retired parking spaces.
Low traffic neighbourhoods could be achieved by traffic calming interventions, shared surfaces, speed humps and raised crosswalks.
Neighbourhood hubs would be the place to get packages, rather than home delivery to the door. Where deliveries are necessary cargo bikes using larger cycle lanes could be implemented.
This article was made possible by the support of Bicycle Network's members who enable us to make bike riding better in Australia.