Designing healthier neighbourhoods: a systematic review of the impact of the neighbourhood design on health and wellbeing

Abstract

Several studies have investigated the impact of neighbourhood design on health and wellbeing, yet there are limited reviews investigating the quality of the evidence and the most effective interventions at a population level. This systematic review aims to clarify the impact of the neighbourhood design on health and wellbeing and evaluate the quality of the evidence underpinning such associations. Eight electronic databases were searched for studies conducted between 2000 and 2016. Additional searches were conducted on Google to identify potentially eligible grey literature. A total of 7694 studies were returned from the literature search, and a final selection of 39 studies were deemed eligible for inclusion. Quality appraisal was conducted using the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies. Findings from the studies showed important associations between neighbourhood design principles such as walkability, access to green space and amenities on health and wellbeing. Findings from this review also highlight areas with inconsistent findings and gaps in the evidence for future research.

Neighbourhood walkability and mental health in older adults: A cross-sectional analysis from EpiFloripa Aging Study

“…Indeed, physical activity behaviours have shown a considerable mediation between characteristics of the physical environment and the mental health of older adults ( Van-Dyck et al, 2015 ). The 14% relationship for physical activity mediation found in this study can be explained, in part, by the fact that regions with better urban design characteristics offer more options for active behaviour, which is related to more significant social interaction ( Igi-Elegbede et al, 2020 ), thus attenuating cognitive impairment. In this way, prioritizing interventions that restructure the urban landscape, allowing greater access to green spaces close to home by means of quality sidewalks, public safety, well-maintained street furniture, seems to be a feasible strategy to enable greater engagement in physical activity and reduced levels of cognitive impairment in the course of life ( Gelius et al, 2020 ; Igi-Elegbede et al, 2020 ).…”

Respiratory pandemics, urban planning and design: A multidisciplinary rapid review of the literature

“…An extensive evidence base supports the links between urban planning and design with healthy behaviours, traffic injuries, noise, air quality, and access to jobs, food and services, as well as the creation or exacerbation of spatial health inequities (for evidence reviews, see e.g. Ige-Elegbede et al, 2020 ; Giles-Corti et al, 2016 ). These ‘health’ dimensions are closely aligned with aspects of neotraditional planning (new urbanism and smart growth) dating back to the 1990s.…”

Impact of subjective and objective neighbourhood characteristics and individual socioeconomic position on allostatic load: A cross-sectional analysis of an all-age UK household panel study

“…For example, area-based environmental and deprivation measures have been associated with higher BMI, being overweight or obese, worse self-reported health and coronary artery calcification (Schüle and Bolte, 2015) and their related risk factors (Riva et al, 2007), and with lung function, blood pressure and inflammatory markers (Chaparro et al, 2018). Neighbourhood environment and its design is associated with health and wellbeing outcomes across all age groups, for example, systematic reviews have presented associations of neighbourhood condition with functional loss and neighbourhood deprivation with poor mental health (Ige-Elegbede et al, 2020).…”