That point was made yesterday by Prof Claire Freeman, of the University of Otago geography department.
She was commenting in a talk on ''Creating Biodiverse Cities for Active Lives from Childhood to Old Age'', at the university yesterday.
The talk came on the third and final day of an Active Living and Environment Symposium: Towards a Healthier and More Sustainable Future, held by the university's School of Physical Education, Sports and Exercise Sciences.
Prof Freeman outlined the results of three studies she had undertaken which explored the preferences and responses to their environment of people, ranging from children to old age citizens.
She had a planning background, and said planners were ''quite important people'' who should be more actively involved in new housing developments.
Too many recent, privately organised housing developments in New Zealand and elsewhere lacked green streetside spaces, and offered insufficient green spaces beside individual houses, as well as shared spaces.
Her research showed that people throughout their lives needed such spaces, which brought ''benefits for all ages'', by encouraging greater physical exercise, increased social connections, maintaining vital links with nature and improving wellbeing and morale, she said.
Symposium organiser Dr Sandra Mandic, of the Otago school, said the event had attracted 85 participants from seven countries, and had been a ''great'' success, bringing together people from a wide range of backgrounds, including from several New Zealand government departments.
Dr Mandic is the collaborative Built Environment and Active Transport to School (BEATS) Study lead investigator.
She outlined many positive aspects of the study, in which 1780 pupils from all 12 Dunedin secondary schools were surveyed about active transport (walking or cycling), including perceived barriers to increased participation in cycling.
