Jamie Quinn, Sustainability Director at Related Argent, a sponsor of NLA’s The Health-Creating City research, explores how everyday places can help people stay well. Drawing on Brent Cross Town’s Flourishing Index, he examines how evidence can inform design, investment and community activities to support healthier, more connected neighbourhoods.

What if some of the most important healthcare infrastructure in our cities isn’t found inside a hospital at all? What if it is the park we walk through, the street that makes us want to cycle, the square we meet a neighbour, the safety of a home that gives us access to nature, or the community space that gives us a sense of belonging. 

We have traditionally thought about healthcare as something that happens when we become unwell: a hospital, a GP surgery, a consultant, a treatment. But the places in which we live, work, study and spend our everyday lives can have a profound influence on our health long before we reach the doors of a healthcare building. Places can encourage movement, connection with nature, good air quality, and social interaction, reduce isolation, support mental welling and create spaces for people to live healthier, more fulfilling lives. 

This suggests a fundamental shift in how we think about the relationship between health and the city. A healthy city isn’t simply one that provides good healthcare. It’s one that creates the conditions for people to stay well in the first place – and ultimately, to flourish. But how do we know whether a place is helping people flourish? 

At Brent Cross Town, the £8bn park town being developed by Related Argent in partnership with Barnet Council, that ambition is being tested, measured and refined through the Flourishing Index. 

Developed with the University of Manchester and Buro Happold, The Flourishing Index is a long-term research project designed to measure individual and collective wellbeing across Brent Cross Town and its surrounding communities. 

Established in 2021, before major construction work began, the Flourishing Index creates a clear baseline of wellbeing which can be measured over time. Through surveys, focus groups, interviews, observations and sensor data, it provides an evidence-led view of progress and helps shape a neighbourhood where people benefit from the change happening in the area. 

Crucially, the Flourishing Index is not just a way of measuring change; it provides a reliable dataset, with academic rigour behind it, which can be used to inform investment and local interventions over the lifespan of the project to improve wellbeing. 

One area where this has influenced decision-making is social connection. Creating opportunities for people to come together has been embedded into the design and activation of the neighbourhood from the outset, recognising the important role social connection plays in improving wellbeing and reducing loneliness, an indicator measured in the Flourishing Index. Active ground-floor uses, retail and hospitality spaces, informal seating, games and social touchpoints all help create opportunities for everyday interaction, while dedicated destinations such as The Visitor Pavilion and Neighbourhood Square provide focal points for community life. Partnerships with local schools and community groups further strengthen those connections, helping ensure the neighbourhood is shaped by and for the people who use it. 

Physical activity should be part of daily life rather than something that requires deliberate effort. As a result, walking and cycling have been prioritised through attractive public spaces, safe crossings and walking and cycle routes that encourage exploration. Our Flourishing Playbook, a design guide for our development managers, encourages an informed approach to wellbeing that combines measurement with practical action. Green spaces such as Claremont Park and Clitterhouse Playing Fields provide space for recreation and play, while a programme of free and low-cost activities ensures opportunities to be active, and socially connected, are accessible across different ages, cultures and backgrounds. 

Equally important is creating an environment that encourages people to slow down, engage with their surroundings and take notice of the world around them. Public art, planting, natural materials and varied landscapes have been incorporated throughout the development to create places that are visually engaging and rich in sensory experience. From streets and squares to building frontages and shared spaces, these interventions help transform everyday journeys into moments of discovery, reflection and enjoyment. 

The research also points to the role that learning, participation and personal growth play in long-term wellbeing. This has informed a range of opportunities for people to engage with the development, share their views and develop new skills. Through Brent Cross Town Connect, local residents can access employment,  training and volunteering opportunities, while local workshops, cultural activities and community programmes encourage people to explore new interests, meet others and build confidence. Whether learning a practical skill, taking up a new hobby or simply engaging more deeply with the neighbourhood, these opportunities help foster a stronger sense of purpose and connection. This preventative approach was supported with Make Every Contact Count training delivered to frontline staff, helping them identify needs and signpost residents to appropriate support. This will be further strengthened by the opening of the new community space which will provide an additional space for residents to commune and access resources. 

Together, these interventions show how evidence from the Flourishing Index is informing an approach to wellbeing that combines measurement with practical action. The Index not only helps identify opportunities to improve wellbeing, but also monitors the impacts of change over time, helping partners to respond as the neighbourhood grows 

So, what if the most powerful healthcare infrastructure is not a hospital? At Brent Cross Town, the emerging answer is that it can also be found in the parks, streets, squares and shared spaces that shape everyday life. The Flourishing Index is helping to move that idea from aspiration to evidence, showing how thoughtful design, active stewardship and community participation can support healthier behaviours and stronger social connections. 

The Flourishing Index is more than a measurement tool, it is a commitment to a responsive and accountable model of urban development that learns from lived experience, monitors changes and adapts over time as community needs change. As Brent Cross Town continues to evolve the Index will help demonstrate how places can do more than accommodate life - they can actively create the conditions for people to flourish.