The NHS has outlined plans to create communities focused on "healthy living" designed to make children "feel happy to walk around all day" and to tackle obesity.
Simon Stevens, NHS England chief executive, said "We want children to have places where they want to play with friends and can safely walk or cycle to school - rather than just exercising their fingers on video games. We want to see neighbourhoods and adaptable home designs that make it easier for older people to continue to live independently wherever possible. And we want new ways of providing new types of digitally-enabled local health services that share physical infrastructure and staff with schools and community groups."
Stevens added this type of development while increase the provision of affordable housing, it will also 'design in' promote health and wellbeing while further 'designing out' obesogenic environment.
The new towns look to provide 76,000 new homes across the ten area schosen as part of this scheme: Whitehill and Bordon in Hampshire, Cranbrook in Devon, a new development in Darlington, Barking Riverside in London, Halton Lea in Runcorn, Cheshire, Whyndyke Farm in Fylde, Lancashire, a new community in Bicester, Oxfordshire, Northstowe in Cambridgeshire, Ebbsfleet Garden City in Kent and Barton Park in Oxford.
Professor Kevin Fenton, National Director for Health and Wellbeing at Public Health England, further added "Some of the UK's most pressing health challenges - such as obesity, mental health issues, physical inactivity and the needs of an ageing population - can all be influenced by the quality of our built and natural environment.
"The considerate design of spaces and places is critical to promote good health. This innovative programme will inform our thinking and planning of everyday environments to improve health for generations to come."
