What are Active Neighbourhood Scans?

Active Neighbourhood Scans seek to identify opportunities to make small, public space improvements that enable residents to be active more easily where they live. They are scans of different routes within each priority neighbourhood across Oxfordshire to fully understand how easy it is to walk, wheel, and be active within these neighbourhoods. As part of Oxfordshire on the Move, we are excited to be launching the first two Active Neighbourhood Scans in Oxfordshire during September.

The scans are intended to compliment work already happening across the county. We will proactively seek to work in partnership with other organisations to bring together resources and put ideas forward for improvements based on insight from the scans, to have a greater impact on communities. As well as being mindful of challenges and changes to be made, Active Neighbourhood Scans are also a brilliant way to see what amazing facilities and spaces already exists in the area, from giant sculptures made from recycled materials and engaging zoo trails for young children, to sensory playground equipment and open green spaces.

In September, we ran our first two Active Neighbourhood Scans in Blackbird Leys and Banbury Ruscote and Neithrop. We've been able to collect a significant amount of insight from residents and community groups. Our next step is to collate all of this insight, gather together community ideas and work together with partners across the county to ensure that all of our efforts are aligned to achieve maximum impact for residents.

Why are Active Neighbourhood Scans important?

Oxfordshire is facing significant, embedded inequalities, with 10 of 83 wards being within the top 20% most deprived areas in the country, and have low outcomes in terms of childhood obesity and physical and mental health in adults. People in lower socioeconomic groups are twice as likely to be inactive as those in the highest socioeconomic groups, and children in low-income families are 30% more likely to be inactive than those in high-income families.

Physical activity plays a huge role in health and wellbeing, and the environment around you can affect how easy and possible it is to be physically active.

At Active Oxfordshire, we take a place-based approach with the aims of creating equal opportunities in priority neighbourhoods where access to activity may be more difficult and where residents face more barriers to physical activity. We want to create communities that are happy, healthy, and active, and Active Neighbourhood Scans can support with this.