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Healthy Built Environments: A review of the literature (Australia)

This literature reveiw was released in 2011 by the Healthy Built Environments Program, City Futures Research Centre, The University of New South Wales. The built environment has an important role to play in supporting human health as part of everyday living. This Literature Review examines the research evidence which demonstrates this link.

The Healthy Built Environments Program has completed a major scholarly literature review examining the role of the built environment in supporting human health as part of everyday living. The principal aim of the Review is to establish an evidence base that supports the development, prioritisation and implementation of healthy built environment policies and practices. The Review identifies current gaps in the evidence to inform future research directions. It includes an annotated bibliography of key research articles and a glossary of terms to assist practitioners, policy makers and researchers working in this interdisciplinary realm.

The focus of the Review is on the three key built environment domains that support human health:

1. The Built Environment and Getting People Active.
2. The Built Environment and Connecting and Strengthening Communities.
3. The Built Environment and Providing Healthy Food Options.

These built environment domains address three of the major risk factors for contemporary chronic disease - physical inactivity, social isolation and obesity.

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