London Sport Insight have recently completed a set of crib sheets that bring together the latest evidence, challenges and opportunities across our focus areas and audiences. They are practical resources to support staff in planning, influencing, and engaging with partners.
This week we are spotlighting Active Environments – Challenge 2: The principles of Active Design are not being implemented to enable more opportunities for Londoners to be active through the wider built environment.
Active Design is national guidance (Sport England, OHID, Active Travel England) that helps design environments where people can move more, but it’s not being systematically applied in London’s planning and development.
Why this matters:
- Evidence shows Low Traffic Neighbourhoods deliver up to 100x more health benefit than cost.
- Physical activity generates £107bn in social value annually in London.
- If every Londoner walked/cycled 20 minutes daily, the NHS could save £1.7bn over 25 years.
The crib sheet sets out:
- Barriers: policy priorities, funding cuts, evidence gaps, fragmented stakeholders.
- Opportunities: influence the London Plan, support borough schemes (LIPs, LTNs, Mini-Hollands), showcase pilots, build partnerships, provide technical support, and use data to evidence success.
This resource helps you understand the challenge and where London Sport can play a role in embedding Active Design across the city.
All Focus Area and Audience crib sheets are now available for London Sport staff to use via the link above.