Our towns and cities could and should be good for us. But walk down almost any high street in the UK today and you’ll notice two things: shuttered shops and people living with long-term health conditions. Retail has been retreating, leaving behind empty shells of buildings, while demand on the NHS continues to grow. These two stories are connected – and they point to a clear opportunity.
Health and wellbeing hubs, integrated spaces for healthcare and healthier living, placed right in the middle of towns and cities, are a powerful answer. They make healthcare more accessible, tackle health inequalities, and re-energise high streets. But they can also be beautifully designed civic places that blend architecture and landscape architecture to nurture wellbeing from the moment people step inside – or even before they walk through the door.
As architects, we have a responsibility to design spaces that function and create environments that actively support healthier lives. That means thinking as much about the public realm and the journey to the building as we do about the internal spaces.
The idea of decentralising healthcare is not new, but what has changed is the urgency and the scale. Government plans are underway to roll out at least 42 neighbourhood health hubs across England, and projects like the new Catterick Integrated Health and Care Campus, where BDP is lead designer, are setting the benchmark by bringing GP practices, diagnostic services, community care, mental health support, and even leisure facilities into one place.
The benefits of integrated care environments are well-documented. Convenience matters, particularly for those in disadvantaged communities. When health hubs are based in town centres, people don’t need to make long journeys to distant hospitals. They can drop in for a blood test while running errands, attend physiotherapy after doing their food shop, or simply feel more connected to daily life. What matters most is that these spaces don’t stand apart from the communities they serve but are knitted into the rhythm of everyday life. And that is where design becomes critical.
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