Place and the triple wins: decision-making for health, climate and equality

Irene Beautyman, Planning Place Programme Manager, and Miriam McKenna, Programme Manager for Inequality, Economy and Climate Change, explain how the decisions that local government makes about the places we live and work in can bring benefits for health and wellbeing, for the climate and for reducing inequality.

When we talk about place and the ‘triple wins’, what do we actually mean by triple wins? We’re talking about the positive impact that well-designed places have on the health of people, the health of our planet, and on reducing inequalities.

Place combines many factors that impact the people that use it and while every place is different, there are common features. There is the physical place – the street, the field, the actual space. There’s the financial aspect of everyone who invests in a place and those working in it. There’s also an online aspect with so many of us now shopping, working and even socialising online. All of these have an impact on the behaviour of the people who live in and use the places. This impact can be positive and negative.

When we make decisions about our places, we need to be aware of the potential impacts on health, on climate and on inequalities because, too often, there are unintended negative consequences for the people who live in and use them.

Take the decision on where to locate a new primary school, as just one small example. The ideal situation would be to be able to walk from home to the school to drop the children off, then perhaps pop into the shops, drop in on an elderly neighbour or someone else you care for, then jump on a bus to take you to work. Relocating the primary school to the outskirts of town can make this “trip chaining” difficult. You might now need to drive or take the bus to the school as it’s further away. If you need to go shopping, you may have to drive or take the bus there too, extending your commute time. Or you might now not have time for those extra stops and not see that elderly neighbour or person you care for.

We can see that though the decision to relocate the primary school was taken with the best intentions (better facilities, a more sustainable building), it has unintended negative consequences for people. By keeping the school local, we can encourage physical activity through the walk to school, support people in their care roles and those cared for, and support the local economy. Being able to use public transport rather than owning a car can reduce in-work poverty, and reduced car miles will improve air quality in the local area too.

We see similar benefits in another example with the decision to move an office from the outskirts of town to the town centre. The original out-of-town location meant that most people needed to drive to the office and local amenities were limited. The new town centre location provides greater opportunity to use public transport or walk or cycle part of the journey, and provides access to the amenities of the town centre without needing to drive or take a bus.

That one change has potential for several positive consequences.

Active travel helps improve physical and mental health through social interactions and moving through natural spaces as well as the activity itself. Walking also promotes community cohesion as we engage with people in our local area, which increases our sense of identity and belonging in a community.

Easier access to the office and the ability to use public transport can make the commute quicker and more affordable. Reduced car miles mean reduced carbon emissions and better air quality, helping us deliver on our climate commitments and making the streets more attractive for walking.

A town centre location where people are encouraged to use local businesses keeps money in the local economy, supporting the community wealth building pillars and the wellbeing economy. Local business are supported and a vibrant town centre provides opportunities for socialising and greater community cohesion, as well as reducing traffic to out of town retail centres.

These are just some of the impacts of decision-making on place. The?Place and Wellbeing Outcomes?set out all the features that we need to consider. If we get all these things right in a place, then we enable people there to thrive, our planet to suffer less from our impact upon it, and we reduce inequalities. That’s a triple win.