The amount a town or city invests in sports-related infrastructure may impact how active the people who live there are, according to new University of Georgia research.
Well-designed, aesthetically pleasing urban environments, the study found, affect how likely residents will be to engage in sports.
Researchers from the UGA Mary Frances Early College of Education said this could signal ways communities can make direct improvements on how healthy its citizens are.
"If there's a TV in front of you, you would probably feel encouraged to watch some programs. It's as simple as that," said Troy Zhao, lead and corresponding author of the study and a doctoral student in the department of sport management and policy. "In this framework, we see this same thing but with how stimulating, built environments positively affect sports participation behavior."
Areas that promote activity can increase sports participation
The researchers surveyed hundreds of urban planners and public health experts, as well as citizens in areas where recent urban sports investments were made.
The study found that cities with formal, informal or adapted urban sports spaces caused people who lived in them more likely to participate in sports.
Those spaces could look like sports complexes with basketball, tennis or swimming pools; stadiums for team play; or even marked trails and waterways for walking or kayaking.
Previously when we all thought about sport participation, we thought about only the existence of a space, but now we know that aesthetics really matter."
-Troy Zhao, College of Education
The people who had these areas as an option where they lived also had a more positive attitude, which may contribute to a desire to be active.
"This stands out. The design is not only influencing attitudes but indirectly affecting sport participation intentions through these attitudes," Zhao said.
Areas without green spaces or ones that weren't pedestrian friendly overall may contribute to a more sedentary lifestyle in highly populated, dense cities like Atlanta.
Certain aspects of sports spaces can make or break interest
While areas like soccer fields and recreation centers are a good thing, there are certain necessary characteristics to lead to healthy outcomes.
Among all age groups, 18 to 55, 80% of respondents agreed on the following as necessary for spaces to have:
● Availability.
● Accessibility.
● Design.
● Safety.
● Affordability.
"Previously when we all thought about sport participation, we thought about only the existence of a space, but now we know that aesthetics really matter - down to how the floor is maintained."
Think of the Atlanta Beltline or UGA's Ramsey Student Center, Zhao said. Effort mattered. Zhao even spoke to the designer of the beltline, who made it accessible for runners, walkers and bikers at multiple points throughout the city, all while making it an environmentally pleasing design.
The social benefits of spaces were also seen across a community, as they provided an avenue for future events and organized teams.
The research signals to any level of planner or policymaker to consider these areas as necessary for overall community health.
"This is a key takeaway from our research and from a policy implication perspective," he said. "We want to provide this, so that the urban planners, administrators, can integrate these factors to create multifunctional and attractive spaces to foster community engagement and encourage more sport participation."
This study was also co-authored by Sam Chen, a doctoral student in Sport Management; Lan Mu, a professor in the Department of Geography; assistant professor of Sport Management Clay Collins; James Zhang, a professor of Sport Management, and Beijing Sport University professor of sports economics Yufei Bai. It was also the winner of the North American Society for Sport Management 2025 Student Paper Competition, the most significant award to a doctoral student in the field of Sport Management academia in the region.
