Rethinking stewardship for healthy communities

Long-term stewardship of housing developments offers a way to improve public health. We explore how new shared stewardship models can support healthier communities by working with the people who live in them. Find out how to get involved.

Safe, secure and affordable housing is fundamental to good health and health equity. But to really thrive, residents need more from their homes and neighbourhoods. Among other things, they need a sense of belonging, social connection, to feel included and to have agency regarding decisions which affect where they live.

Homes and neighbourhoods with long-term investment and care, rather than merely being maintained, are far more likely to foster these factors contributing to wellbeing.. This is what stewardship is about. 

We believe that the best way to help make this happen is to avoid top-down ways of working and develop models of stewardship which are shared. There is evidence of the health benefits to residents of increased power and agency in their local area, particularly for marginalised communities. This is what involving residents in stewardship of place can offer – and collaboration between developers, housing, health and community stakeholders is key to its success.

This year, the Health and Housing Impact Network will explore models of stewardship that share power with residents.

These approaches can build the capacity of local people and provide clarity and accountability for investment and care.

The evidence for stewardship for healthy communities and why residents should involved – read the news article

Shared stewardship does not mean simply shifting the burden to residents, and community-led models won’t be right for every neighbourhood. But councils in London such as Southwark and Ealing are demonstrating the connection between giving power and voice to communities with improvements to health equity.

Shared stewardship can help developers and other built environment professionals with their social value commitments, and potentially deliver savings. Shared models are also more resilient than top-down approaches and can strengthen a community or place’s ability to withstand social, economic and environmental shocks.

Developing principles of healthy shared stewardship

Given the complexity health and housing professionals are working within, there is growing recognition that models for stewardship need to be more sophisticated. Through our programme, we’ll look at places in London using a variety of approaches. And we’ll come up with a set of principles for “healthy stewardship”. Our output will help health and housing professionals to:

• Make the case for shared stewardship and how this can have a positive impact on health outcomes in housing developments.
• Understand the key ingredients and best practice for stewardship models that promote health.
• Identify where sectors can collaborate for mutual benefit.

Field trips to find stewardship for healthy communities

Come along to our field trips where you’ll get under the skin of projects taking a healthy approach to stewardship in London. There will be the chance to meet those involved in making them happen and be part of discussions on what we can learn and apply elsewhere. You’ll also get to connect with people committed to health, housing and stewardship from across a range of disciplines.

Stewardship field trips

• Large-scale development in Brent on 17 September 2026 
• Intergenerational housing in Lewisham on 26 November 2026 – register here

Thanks to our programme sponsors, Impact on Urban Health and Vistry, and our programme supporters, City Sanctuary.

 

Get involved

Subscribe to find out first about events and network outputs here

If you have case studies or expertise to share, please contact us

News and events

Why shared stewardship is key to healthier communities
As the link between the places we live and health equity becomes clearer, learn why sharing stewardship with residents is vital. Read the blog post

Shared stewardship in practice – field trip to Brent
Thursday 17 September 2026, 9.30am to 1pm Register now