Spacescapes has supported C40’s work with The Healthy Neighbourhood Explorer tool. We delivered indicators and measurements on urban form, urban transportation and physical activity.

The Healthy Neighbourhood Explorer tool gives a snapshot of the Healthy Neighbourhood Index score and the composite indicators for C40 cities and their neighbourhoods. It allows urban planners to quickly identify which neighbourhoods might benefit most from an intervention based on their indicator scores, and which interventions might be most effective. It can also be used to assess the impacts of different neighbourhood interventions by estimating the health and emissions benefits that could arise from 26 different types of urban design transformations.

There is a wealth of evidence showing that designing cities to offer more services and amenities close to people’s homes improves the health and well-being of residents. A range of urban development choices can create neighbourhoods that offer access to more schools, community health and cultural centres as well as shops or green space; all of which make cities more liveable. Urban planning approaches that aim to increase access and proximity to amenities for residents embody a foundational urban design principle – that cities should aim to create green and thriving neighbourhoods, with the conditions for residents to access both essential services and a wide range of urban amenities within a 15-minute walk or cycle ride.

Despite research showing that 15-minute cities are successful in promoting sustainable travel and lifestyles whilst also supporting local economies, urban planners generally lack a quick and easy way to quantify which neighbourhoods need interventions to allow for 15-minute city living, and which interventions are needed. The Healthy Neighbourhood Index, created by C40 Cities with support from Novo Nordisk, is a set of nine measurable indicators that capture key elements of what it means to design green, thriving and healthy urban neighbourhoods. The Healthy Neighbourhood Tool allows users to explore how cities rank on each of the nine indicators, down to the neighbourhood level.

Though currently only available for C40 cities, the explorer will be expanded to cover cities globally, serving as a tool for urban decision-makers across the world.

Test the tool here.