London’s high streets have an opportunity to capitalise on the growth of the global wellness economy, which is forecast to reach $10 trillion by 2029.

The Government’s new Hope on the High Street strategy recognises that successful high streets need strong local leadership, compelling reasons to visit, easy access and places that feel safe, clean and welcoming. Crucially, it also recognises that every high street is a unique ecosystem, shaped by where it is and the people it serves.

That creates an important opportunity to think differently about wellness and London’s high streets and town centres.

Wellness is not simply about locating more health facilities and pharmacies in our town centres. It is much more holistic. Only around 10–20% of the factors influencing our health relate to medical care. The other 80–90% are influenced by the conditions in which we live, our behaviours, social and economic circumstances and the built environment.

Places shaping wellness is the starting point for Saluura.

Saluura is founded on the Global Wellness Institute’s six dimensions of wellness: physical, mental, spiritual, social, environmental and economic. It translates this holistic understanding of wellness into a practical, research-led framework for assessing place.

Rather than starting with a predetermined solution, Saluura comprehensive, evidence-led and place-based framework helps place custodians understand what they already have, where their challenges lie and where the greatest opportunities for positive change exist.

By combining a solid research foundation with data, spatial assessment, stakeholder insight and professional judgement, Saluura can help local authorities, BIDs, landowners, developers and communities build a much richer picture of how their high street is performing and identify where intervention could deliver the greatest wellbeing impact.

Because no two high streets are the same, this approach can work at very different scales, from a neighbourhood parade or small market town to a metropolitan centre or globally significant destination.

The Government is right that the high streets of the past are not coming back. An opportunity is to create high streets that promote and support wellness and become economically successful places for the future.

The growth of the wellness economy gives us another reason to invest in them.

Saluura can help places understand where to start.