Building Healthy Town Centres: Why Our High Streets Matter More Than Ever.

High streets and town centres have always been more than places to shop. They are where communities meet, where local economies come to life, and where people from different generations and backgrounds cross paths every day. Yet across the UK, too many high streets are struggling — hollowed out by changing retail habits, underinvestment, and a lack of long-term vision.

At Why Sports 2026, the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) will shine a spotlight on how we can reimagine these spaces as engines of health, wellbeing and social connection.

Simon Dixon, Head of Policy and Public Affairs, and Dr Fe Perez, Senior Researcher at RSPH, will lead a session on Building Healthy Town Centres, exploring the vital role high streets can play in supporting active lifestyles, economic prosperity and community cohesion.

Their message is clear: a healthy town centre is not just attractive — it is easy to reach, inclusive, active, and worth visiting.

High Streets at the Heart of Community Life.

High streets sit at the centre of everyday life. They are one of the few places where different demographics naturally come together — young and old, families and workers, long-term residents and newcomers. When they work well, they support:

• Active travel, encouraging walking and cycling as part of daily routines

• Easy access to sport and leisure, reducing barriers to participation

• Local economic growth, supporting small businesses and employment

• Social connection, creating spaces where communities can meet and thrive

Yet despite this potential, regeneration efforts have too often prioritised commercial return over social value. The result? Developments that look good on paper but fail to improve people’s health, wellbeing or sense of belonging.

The Royal Society for Public Health’s framework challenges this approach, highlighting sport, leisure and physical activity as essential ingredients of healthy high streets — not optional extras.

Why Has the UK High Street Been Forgotten?

It’s a difficult but necessary question: why has investment in our high streets fallen so far behind need?

Across many towns and cities, we see declining footfall, empty units, and reduced public services. Meanwhile, the wider benefits of vibrant town centres — improved mental health, increased activity levels, safer streets and stronger communities — are rarely factored into funding decisions.

Dr Fe Perez’s influential publication, Streets Ahead: Building Health on the High Street, lays bare the current situation while also presenting a powerful case for change. It shows how high streets can become catalysts for healthier, happier communities when designed around people rather than purely profit.

The evidence is compelling: when town centres prioritise movement, accessibility and social interaction, they don’t just recover — they flourish.

So what is the future of the UK high street? And why shouldn’t communities demand more from the places that sit at the heart of their daily lives?

From Regeneration to Reconnection.

At Why Sports 2026, Simon Dixon and Dr Fe Perez will explore how local authorities, health partners, planners, leisure providers and community organisations can work together to bring high streets back to life.

Their session will focus on practical approaches to:

• Embedding physical activity into town centre design

• Supporting active travel and accessible transport links

• Integrating sport and leisure into regeneration strategies

• Working with local partners to align economic, health and social goals

• Creating places that invite people in — and give them reasons to stay

This is about shifting from short-term regeneration to long-term reconnection: reconnecting people with place, movement with daily life, and economic success with social value.

High streets are central to any community. They can be places of opportunity, inclusion and wellbeing — or symbols of missed potential.

The Royal Society for Public Health is calling for a new approach, one that recognises town centres as powerful platforms for prevention, physical activity and population health. It’s an approach that aligns closely with the Why Sports mission: bringing together sectors to create environments where people can live healthier, more active lives.

At Why Sports 2026, this session will challenge delegates to think differently about place, partnership and possibility — and to consider how their own organisations can help shape town centres that truly serve their communities.

Because a healthy high street doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when we choose to invest in people, prioritise movement, and design places that bring us together. And if we get it right, our town centres won’t just recover — they’ll become foundations for healthier generations to come.