Framework

What is the Quality of Life Framework?

The Quality of Life Framework helps you to understand how your home and neighbourhood affects your health and wellbeing, highlighting the evidence base and including case studies that demonstrate good practice. It is intended for use by community groups; housing developers, planners and designers; architects; investors; housing associations; operators; and local authorities.

It brings together our work into six overriding themes:

  • A sense of control
  • Health equity
  • Connection to nature
  • A sense of wonder
  • Getting around
  • Connected communities

Grounded in evidence, the Framework sets out how communities, developers and their designers, and local authorities can create better places for people to live by placing greater emphasis on health and wellbeing.

This is the second version of the Framework. Since creating the first version in 2020, we have furthered our own understanding of what is needed at a local and national level to improve people’s quality of life. We have done this by carrying out an evidence review, undertaking practical projects to implement best practice, and working directly on policy at a local and national level.

How does the Quality of Life Foundation use the Framework?

The Quality of Life Framework underpins all our work. We use it to help people understand the impact that our homes and neighbourhoods can have on our health and wellbeing. And we use it to assess places (and plans for places) to see how well they deliver for people’s quality of life. We make recommendations based on the Framework to community groups, policy makers and built environment professionals in the pursuit of creating healthy homes and sustainable neighbourhoods.

What is quality of life?

Quality of life can be understood in terms of:

  • health and its social determinants
  • an individual’s physical, social and psychological wellbeing
  • social impact, which refers to the effect that an individual, organisation or project has on the long-term health and wellbeing outcomes of individuals and communities.

We believe that if we can improve the built environment – the homes and neighbourhoods where people live – then we can raise people’s quality of life. This is good for people and good for the planet.

The quality of life themes

The Quality of Life Framework draws on research and evidence that explores the effect of the built environment on our quality of life.

The Framework uses this research to highlight six themes – the things we need from our homes and neighbourhoods to enable a good quality of life.

You can explore the themes below. In doing so, you agree to the terms and conditions of use of the Quality of Life Framework.

A sense of control

Illustration of a woman standing next to two buildings, with a child sat on top of one building and another child stood next to it

Health equity

An illustration of a woman sat in her house reading a book and drinking a cup of tea

Connection to nature

a woman and a man in a wheel char sat down in their garden drinking tea.

A sense of wonder

Illustration of people playing round buildings and trees

Getting around with ease

Illustration of a road with groups of people walking and cycling around it

Connected communities

illustration of a market. A man riding his bike. a woman and her child are looking to buy some fruit. and elderly woman talking to a child

The evidence

In 2022 we published an Evidence Review, which explores the effect of the built environment on people’s health and wellbeing since the COVID-19 pandemic. It gives an overview of the recent evidence against each of the Quality of Life Framework themes. And it highlights the social, environmental and financial benefits of taking an approach to housing that focuses on people’s health and wellbeing.

What does good look like?

We have collated a collection of case studies that show good practice against each of the Framework’s themes. These show developments in different contexts across the UK and offer learning for future schemes.

“The Framework is extremely helpful in moving the conversation away from one that is focused on housing numbers and traffic, to one that has a far more positive outlook and where the community can begin to proactively shape change.”

Jon Herbert

Director at Troy Planning + Design

“A timely and significant report, with practical and insightful advice for communities, developers, designers, and councils. To create and sustain healthy, happy, and successful places for us, our children, and grandchildren it is imperative that each corner of the real estate sector takes its wider obligations seriously.”

Melanie Leech

British Property Federation

“This comes at a moment when everyone is re-evaluating what is important to them, especially where we live and how we work. As an industry, we also need to reflect on this as we enter a new era for the nation. As we consider the principles which will guide the future of development and regeneration, we need to assess how we ensure the wellbeing of our people and our communities, and what it means to be sustainable.”

Dan Labbad,

CEO of The Crown Estate

“Where we live has a measurable effect on our physical and mental health: on how much we walk, on how many neighbours we know or on how tense we feel on the quotidian journey to work or school. Design affects us from the air we breathe to our ultimate sense of purpose and wellbeing. Over recent generations, far too few landowners, designers or developers have created places that are good for us or the planet. I am so pleased the Quality of Life Foundation have launched their framework. Those who use it will be better able not just to ‘build units’ but to create beautiful homes and places in which the heart can soar and the body feel secure.”

Nicholas Boys-Smith,

Founding Director, Create Streets

Contact

Send us a message

0204 548 3866

Quality of Life Foundation,

C/O Better Space,
127 Farringdon Rd,
London EC1R 3DA.

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Contact

Send us a message

0204 548 3866

Quality of Life Foundation,

C/O Better Space,

127 Farringdon Rd,

London EC1R 3DA