Center for Active Design

Join the Center for Active Design for a timely conversation exploring new research from the University of Cambridge that strengthens the link between building design, health outcomes, and real estate value.

In this session, we’ll hear directly from Franz Fuerst, Professor of Real Estate & Urban Economics, who will share emerging findings on how walkability, building characteristics, and building certifications influence both human health and financial performance.

This discussion is designed for real estate professionals, planners, sustainability leaders, and consultants looking to better understand:

- How research is quantifying the value of healthier places
- How to communicate this evidence clearly to investors, communities, and stakeholders

🎧 Register here:
https://ow.ly/NSrM50Y4Kw6

How do we turn research into real-world impact?

Evidence to Action is the Center for Active Design’s newsletter—sharing insights, tools, and examples that help translate research into healthier, more equitable places.

Subscribe to receive the latest research, programs, and ideas driving change in the built environment: https://ow.ly/NG7550Y0tHL

The recently released Active Design Guidelines 2.0 marks the next era of health-centered design.

Fifteen years after the original guidelines helped redefine how cities design for health, ADG 2.0 reflects an expanded evidence base and a broader understanding of how design shapes mental health, social connection, safety, and civic life, in addition to physical well-being. Grounded in collaboration and lived experience, it’s a practical playbook for translating research into real-world impact.

Read more about this new edition:
https://ow.ly/VFY550XNwp6

Fitwel — From Evidence to Action: ADG 2.0 and The Next Era of Health-Centered, Equitable Design 15 years after NYC's groundbreaking Active Design Guidelines transformed how cities think about health, NYC and CFAD today launched Active Design Guidelines 2.0: Designing for Health and Equity —an updated and expanded toolkit that creates a more holistic set of design strategies that promote phys...

A Milestone for Healthy, Equitable Design

“The new release of the Active Design Guidelines represents a milestone for both the city of New York and for the field. The Original Active Design Guidelines helped kick-start a movement that recognizes that every design and development decision is also a choice about health. Today’s release builds on evidence that has evolved over the past 15 years and provides an even more holistic set of recommendations and principles for ensuring that infrastructure, buildings, and places are all driving toward a common goal of creating environments where everyone can thrive. Congrats to the Center for Active Design and to New York City for this tremendous contribution.”

— Rachel MacCleery, Senior Fellow for Thriving Places, Urban Land Institute Randall Lewis Center for Sustainability in Real Estate

A huge thank you to NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene leading this essential work toward healthier, more equitable communities. To learn more, download ADG 2.0 here: https://ow.ly/X6MJ50XN2ts