THE HON WARREN SNOWDON MP
Minister for Indigenous Health, Rural and Regional Health
and Regional Services Delivery
12 August 2009
CREATING A BUILT ENVIRONMENT THAT KEEPS US ACTIVE
The Minister for Indigenous Health, Rural and Regional Health and Regional Services
Delivery, Warren Snowdon, today launched the Healthy Spaces and Places project at the
Built Environment Meets Parliament Summit in Canberra.
The Healthy Spaces and Places project is an important partnership between the Heart
Foundation, the Australian Local Government Association and the Planning Institute of
Australia.
It aims to improve the health and wellbeing of all Australians from the ground up; through
better designed built environments.
The Healthy Spaces and Places project has produced a web-based national planning guide
with practical tools, case studies and guidelines, to assist planning and design practitioners to
incorporate active living principles into the built environment.
“Research shows that the spaces and places we live in can have a significant impact on our
fitness. Good and people-friendly design can promote healthy lifestyles by encouraging
walking, cycling and active recreation,” Mr Snowdon said.
“Neighbourhood characteristics such as housing density, land use mix, traffic, street
connectivity, lighting, access to paths and cycle ways and proximity to employment have
been shown to have an impact on physical activity levels.
“The Healthy Spaces and Places guide will encourage developers and planners to consider
these elements in the design of our towns, parks, suburbs, shopping centres or any built
environment – be it urban or regional,” he said.
The Healthy Spaces and Places collaboration has been supported with $855,000 of Federal
funding, and has consulted broadly with planning and health professionals, governments, the
development industry and community sector, and academics and researchers via a series of
workshops held in metropolitan and regional locations around Australia.
For further information visit the Healthy Spaces and Places website:
Media contact: Kate Sieper 0488 484 689.
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