Research library

Welcome to the insight hub for we can move,

This is our storage space for research, reports, opinion and news for physical activity and the wider system which we've come across.

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active design (13)

New research shows £5.5bn fund needed to level up access to urban green space as part of UK’s green recovery

As the Prime Minister set out his ambition for the country’s recovery in the West Midlands last week, the National Trust, the Mayor of the West Midlands, Sustrans, Create Streets and local council leaders[3] have written to him urging a £5.5billion commitment to an urban green infrastructure fund to level up access to urban green space as part of his “infrastructure revolution”. Source: National Trust, July 2020

Garden villages locking-in car dependency, says report

Although the theme of the ‘local’ and ‘self-sufficient’ is the official line, the language adopted in the promotion of garden villages makes great play of their strategic location for long distance commuting, near such and such motorway junction or within easy reach of such and such fast road. The developments are generally in the wrong location for sustainable modes of transport. Land to build might be cheap in the middle of the countryside, with public money to ‘open up land’ by funding major

Associations of types of green space across the life-course with blood pressure and body mass index.

Longitudinal study suggests that the perinatal period may be a critical time-period where living closer to green spaces may lower hypertension risk in adulthood, but not obesity. Analysis by type of green space suggested that parks may be more relevant than playgrounds, cemeteries or golf courses. Source: Science Direct March 2020

Associations of the objective built environment along the route to school with children's modes of commuting: A multilevel modelling analysis (the SLIC study).

Our research shows how objectively measurable characteristics of the London built environment can be used to predict commuting behaviour for a representative sample of primary schoolchildren participating in the SLIC study. Proximity to school is the key characteristic associated with active commuting to school. Source: National Centre for Biotechnology Information April 2020

Health and the built environment in United States cities: measuring associations using Google Street View-derived indicators of the built environment.

Study suggests that higher levels of urban development have mixed effects on health and adds further evidence that socioeconomic distress has adverse impacts on multiple physical and mental health outcomes. e.g. Single lane roads were associated with increased diabetes and obesity, while non-single-family home buildings were associated with decreased obesity, diabetes and inactivity. Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32050938 (February 2020)

Change a region to change a nation Greater Manchester’s walking and cycling investment plan

The plan would see £1.5bn invested in the Bee Network, 1,800 miles of cycling and walking routes over the region. The goal is to create a model which could be replicated across the country. Source: https://theconversation.com/greater-manchesters-cycling-plan-is-a-radical-much-needed-approach-now-it-needs-funding-131419 (February 2020)

The Health of the Nation strategy for longevity: Longer life 'not a problem to be tackled but a goal to be pursued'

A new report, The Health of the Nation: A Strategy for Healthier Longer Lives, was published by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Longevity. It found that women in the UK are living for 29 years in poor health and men for 23 years: an increase of 50% for women and 42% for men on previous estimates based on self-reported data. Source: https://www.transportxtra.com/publications/local-transport-today/news/63446/longer-life-not-a-problem-to-be-tackled-but-a-goal-to-be-pursued-via-healthy