Through our extensive network of academic institutions, we are able to support the commissioning and delivery of bespoke research programmes and studies linked to your own physical literacy work.
We also have access to a deep and extensive bank of previous research in and around physical literacy which might help you with your own projects.
PLEED is a concept developed by academics in Canada, which refers to the process of applying physical literacy concepts and outputs to the design and layout of the built environment.
In a jointly funded project between a major UK land developer and the University of Bedfordshire, a PhD project has developed the concept of “MoveScape”, which is a consultation and design tool to help create
dynamic and engaging public spaces and street plans.
The MoveScape tool focusses on creating a public realm which invites positive engagement and promotes active choices. It is set for introduction as a core part of the developer’s concept planning for new developments going forwards.
Our physical activity journey is uniquely individual, influenced by our own personal experiences, and this creates challenges for activity providers looking to build collective programmes and interventions across the whole life journey. And this is the same challenge faced by designers of active environments.
Following Lands Improvements (LIH) initial engagement with the IPLA, through Trevor Smith, the UK land developer pushed the exploration further into developing a model to understand these individual motivations and how they can be aggregated to create the right environments.
Following consultation with IPLA President, Margaret Whitehead, LIH approached the University of Bedfordshire’s School of Sport and Physical Activity to co-fund a candidate PhD student (Olivia Flemons) into leading a consultation study to inform their active space design.
Centred specifically on the Linmere (Bedfordshire) development, the ‘Embrace Your Space’ study consulted residents through semi-structured focus groups, and online questionnaires, to understand their positive physical activity experiences in their local environment. These engagements also explored ‘ideal scenarios for physical activity, guided on the four principles of physical literacy (physical, social, cognitive, and affective), enabling participants (residents) inform a more resident-centric approach to local environment design.
