Design for the physical and mental health of older people
From "Phase 1: Understanding your neighbourhood and establishing a vision (map)"
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Looking at the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities 2021 data, there are several key area where the north of the city performs poorly.
Kings Hedges is significantly worse than the national rate on:
- income deprivation
- child poverty
- poverty in older people
- overcrowded houses
- hospital admissions for COPD
- hospital admissions for self-harm
- hospital admissions for alcohol attributable conditions
- life expectancy for males and females
- death rate from all causes
- death from all causes under 75 years
Arbury is significantly worse than the national rate on:
- poverty in older people
- overcrowded houses
- hospital admissions for COPD
- hospital admissions for self-harm
- hospital admissions for alcohol attributable conditions
Many of the health conditions in the area could be aided by more physical activity and improved mental health (so that people don't turn to alcohol, cigarettes, food and self-harm). These health conditions disproportionately impact the older population, who are often traditional working class people who moved to the area in the 1960s and have lived here ever since. Many also have children who have had to move out of the area due to house/rent prices. We are doing very little in the area to support this population, who have limited opportunity to leave the area and who are often living alone. The design of the area we live needs to support our older residents to get out and about, live independent lives and to socialise and meet people.
To quote a report on mental health and design by the RTPI "The quality of the wider built environment is [also] a determining factor for mental health, with noise, pollution levels, quality of greenspace, access to services and even ‘beauty’ all playing a part. Town planning decisions can therefore impact on mental health." and "More than 20% of the population have a disability: a physical, mobility, sensory or cognitive impairment. Many conditions co-exist, particularly in older people, and they place individuals at increased risk of developing mental health conditions. Creating an accessible, inclusive built environment that enables everyone to play an equal role in society is important in protecting and enhancing everyone’s well-being and mental health." and "Where someone lives is another risk factor. People living in the most deprived areas of England were twice as likely to be referred to psychological therapies services as those living in the least deprived areas in 2017/18. They also have lower rates of recovery."
The Report Impact of the Built Environment and the Neighborhood in Promoting the Physical Activity and the Healthy Aging in Older People: An Umbrella Review says the following elements of urban design impact the physical health of older people:
"The elements positively associated with physical activity in older adults were: walkability; residential density/urbanization; street connectivity; land-use mix-destination diversity; overall access to facilities, destinations and services; pedestrian-friendly infrastructures; greenery and aesthetically pleasing scenery; high environmental quality; street lighting; crime-related safety; traffic-related safety. The elements that were negatively associated with physical activity were: poor pedestrian access to shopping centers; poor pedestrian-friendly infrastructure and footpath quality; barriers to walking/cycling; lack of aesthetically pleasing scenery; crime-related unsafety; unattended dogs; inadequate street lighting and upkeep; traffic; littering, vandalism, decay; pollution; noise."
A lot of this supports other points that have been raised during the consultation for the area to become greener, more beautiful, more easily walkable, safer, better served by services such as shops and cafes and more social.