Challenging the infrastructural footprint of healthcare is necessary and urgent to better support people, communities and the environment. This stream examines how infrastructure can be leaner, more flexible and more resilient, while continuing to support safety, dignity and quality of care.

• What elements of care can be delivered closer to home, supporting carers and reducing pressure on acute facilities?
• How can we repurpose and adapt existing buildings to extend their life, reduce waste and strengthen local health networks?
• What are the minimum requirements for healthcare that is resilient and energy efficient?

Our health is shaped as much by social and environmental conditions as by clinical interventions. Reframing healthcare strategy to prioritise meaningful outcomes for people, families and communities requires a shift away from activity-based models of care.

This stream brings together perspectives on how we support the lifelong continuum of care, including the often unseen labour of carers and the clinical workforce. Healthcare must be proactive in preventing avoidable demand, rather than reactive in treating illness. This requires an integrated understanding of the interdependencies between health, housing, transport and social infrastructure./p>

• How do we design environments that support health promotion, early intervention and long-term care management?
• How can healthcare be better integrated into community settings and everyday life?
• What kinds of social and spatial infrastructure are needed to ensure equitable access to care?

Health is an active, lifelong process, shaped by environments that support movement, capability, mental wellbeing across ageing, disability and diverse life stages.

People are more than patients. Physical activity, community participation and social connection are critical to maintaining good health. This stream considers how design can support choice, dignity and autonomy, enabling people to remain active agents in their own health and recovery.

• How can healthcare environments better support movement, independence, reablement and participation?
• How can we design for disability, neurodiversity and ageing as part of a continuous health spectrum?
• How can healthcare intersect with lifestyle and wellbeing, including sport, fitness, mental health and self-improvement?