The Built Environment (Part 3): Physical activity: Green spaces, parks and walkable cities.

Welcome to part III of The Built Environment series. In parts I and II we defined the term "built environment" and discussed how community design, discrimination and zoning laws impact food access and nutrition security. If you haven't read the first two articles in the series yet, I highly encourage that you do. You can find part I here and part II here. In this week's blogpost, we'll be turning our attention to physical activity and how it is influenced by our built environment.

Now, I don't need to tell you how important physical activity is for maintaining health, we all know this. One might ask, if we all know this, then why isn't everyone engaging in movement consistently? Well, it turns out that, while physical activity matters, access to physical activity matters even more.

Physical activity is a modifiable health behavior that includes any movement that increases energy expenditure above resting levels. Physical fitness refers to the physiological adaptations that occur when physical activity is performed consistently over time. Regular engagement in physical activity leads to measurable improvements in cardiorespiratory capacity, muscular strength, endurance, flexibility and metabolic efficiency, all of which are deeply intertwined with metabolic health.

On an even deeper biological level, regular exercise improves insulin sensitivity, enhances glucose uptake into muscle cells, reduces visceral adiposity, supports mitochondrial function and lowers chronic inflammation. Together, these adaptations reduce the risk of metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other chronic conditions.

The dominant cultural model of “fitness” in the U.S. has been shaped by commercial gym culture and individualistic wellness narratives. Traditionally, fitness is framed as:

• Gym‑based exercise: weightlifting, cardio machines, group classes

• Structured, time‑bound workouts: 30–60 minute sessions, often indoors

• Aesthetic‑driven goals: weight loss, muscle tone, body transformation

• Individual responsibility: the idea that health outcomes depend solely on personal discipline and motivation

This model is profitable, but it’s not equitable. It assumes everyone has time, money, transportation, childcare and a sense of safety in these spaces. It also sidelines culturally diverse forms of movement such as walking, dancing, active commuting, play, community sports and labor‑based activity (equally valid and often more accessible).

Barriers to Physical Activity

Despite the well‑documented benefits of exercise and seemingly foolproof fitness model mentioned previously, many people face structural barriers that make regular movement difficult or impossible. These barriers are not about motivation or discipline, they’re about environment, access and policy. For context here are a few examples of these barriers:

1. Cost Barriers

• Gym memberships, boutique fitness classes and sports equipment are expensive.

• Low‑income communities often lack affordable or free options for safe physical activity. For example, clean, open and well maintained green spaces (parks, basketball courts etc.).

2. Built Environment Barriers

• Absence of free green spaces to combat the cost barrier to access. Many neighborhoods, especially historically marginalized ones, lack parks, trails and recreational fields.

• Limited walkability: Poor sidewalk infrastructure, unsafe traffic patterns and car‑centric city planning discourage walking or biking.

• Lack of safe outdoor spaces: High crime rates, inadequate lighting and poorly maintained public areas reduce opportunities for movement.

3. Time and Labor Barriers

Long work hours, shift work and caregiving responsibilities leave little time for structured exercise.

• People working multiple jobs or in physically demanding roles may not have the energy for additional activity.

4. Cultural and Social Barriers

• Fitness spaces often feel unwelcoming or exclusionary, especially for people of color, larger‑bodied individuals, disabled people and even beginners.

• Lack of representation in fitness media reinforces the idea that movement is for certain bodies only.

How can the built environment be reshaped to facilitate accessible movement for all?

Addressing physical activity inequities requires shifting from an individual‑responsibility model to a systems‑responsibility model. Solutions have a chance at efficacy if they focus on redesigning environments, expanding access and embedding movement into daily life. Here are some examples of potential solutions to making physical activity accessible for all:

1. Invest in the Built Environment

• Expand and maintain public parks, greenways and recreational fields.

• Build safe, continuous sidewalks, protected bike lanes and pedestrian‑first street design.

• Implement traffic‑calming measures (speed bumps, raised crosswalks) to make walking safer.

This should be done in all communities, not just affluent ones. Too often, investments in parks, bike lanes, safe sidewalks, and recreational spaces show up in neighborhoods that already have resources (places where movement is a lifestyle, not a logistical challenge). Meanwhile, the communities that would benefit most from safe, accessible spaces to move are the ones consistently left out of these decisions.

When we limit these investments to affluent ZIP codes, we’re not just creating uneven access to physical activity, we’re reinforcing the very health inequities we claim to be addressing. Movement shouldn’t depend on your income, your neighborhood’s tax base, or whether your community is deemed “worth” the investment. It should be a universal public good.

2. Make Movement Free and Accessible

• Fund community recreation centers with no‑cost or low‑cost fitness programs.

• Support school‑based shared‑use agreements, allowing community members to use gyms, tracks and fields after hours.

• Provide equipment libraries (similar to book libraries) for bikes, sports gear and fitness tools.

3. Policy Support

• Require physical activity–friendly urban planning in new developments.

4. Community‑Centered Approaches

Fund culturally relevant movement programs (dance, martial arts, walking groups, community sports).

• Partner with local organizations to co‑design programs that reflect community needs and preferences.

5. Shift the Narrative

• Move away from “fitness as personal responsibility” toward movement as a public good.

• Highlight diverse bodies, abilities and cultural practices in public health messaging.

• Frame physical activity as a right, not a luxury.

The built environment shapes how we move, and in doing so, it shapes who gets to be healthy. Until every community is built for movement, physical activity will remain a privilege, not a choice.