Design Codes for Health and Wellbeing

Quality of Life Foundation has released new guidance, Design Codes for Health and Wellbeing, which has been developed in partnership with the TCPA, along with  Tibbalds, TRUUD, and Henley Business School, with support from UDL. It provides practical advice for embedding health and wellbeing into the design coding process, ensuring that places support healthier lives for everyone.

Why design codes matter

Design codes set expectations for the design of buildings, spaces, and places. They help create high-quality developments by providing a structured framework that planning authorities, developers, and communities can use to shape future growth. By prioritising health and wellbeing within design codes, we can:

• Address local health priorities through better urban design
• Reduce health inequalities by improving access to green space, active travel, and healthy food
• Create certainty for developers and decision-makers, ensuring that health-focused placemaking becomes standard practice.

Who is this guidance for?

Design Codes for Health and Wellbeing is designed for planners, developers, local authorities, public health professionals, and community groups involved in shaping the built environment.

It sets out a policy framework and practical principles for incorporating health into design codes, complementing existing national guidance on placemaking.

Embedding Health into Rural Place-Making

The Design Codes for Health and Wellbeing guidance from the Quality of Life Foundation champions design-led approaches that support better quality of life in all communities—including rural areas.

With a strong emphasis on community voice, local health data, and context-sensitive design, this new guidance ensures that rural places benefit from healthier homes, accessible green spaces, and connected, walkable environments. It offers practical tools to shape developments that respond to the unique challenges of rural living—such as access to services, isolation, and mobility—while protecting the identity and character of the countryside.

Download the guidance here