Abstract

In many Dutch municipalities new residential areas are emerging or old ones are being regenerated. The residential area plays an important role in stimulating physical activity and healthy practices. Fundamental aspects of the residential area in this regard are the possibilities offered for physical activity, and the social and physical safety of the area itself. These aspects are, in fact, closely linked: safe traffic and social safety promote physical activity, while a safe area is inviting to pedestrians and cyclists. To stimulate physical activity as a part of the daily routine, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) has developed and validated a manual 'to enhance physical activity and safety' in the municipality of Voorhout. The manual employs a step-by-step approach to designing a residential area promoting physical activity and safety; it also includes fifty recommendations for setting up such a residential area. The manual aims at Dutch municipalities who want to place priority on the physical activity and safety of their inhabitants in their consideration of new construction and restructuring plans. Such a manual will help municipalities in their renovation or regeneration plans to realize residential areas that are both safe and accommodating in the provision of physical activity.