In Australia, a new feature of public policy is the requirement by governments that large-scale infrastructure projects integrate social procurement practices that alter the traditional focus on balancing price and quality. Social procurement has been gradually developing in practice, but the academic literature has not kept pace. Although past research has identified some of the barriers affecting social procurement implementation in the construction industry, the nature of the barriers impeding its proliferation has not to date been systematically reviewed. This paper undertakes a review of the social procurement literature published from January 2012 to 30 June 2022, with 49 papers chosen under selective criteria. This critical review employs the “Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses” (PRISMA) technique to retrieve secondary data on social procurement from available peer-reviewed academic papers through three databases (Scopus, EBSCOhost, Web of Science). The literature analysis focuses on three themes: (1) barriers; (2) enablers; and (3) strategies to overcome the barriers. The paper finds that social procurement as a field of practice is evolving and expanding, but its role in contributing to social value creation remains an under-theorised concept. Recommendations for practice and future research are identified, including the need to measure the real-world impacts of policy.

Australian cities offer potential for public health impact through low-carbon built environment design interventions, given their high per capita carbon footprint and with car use being a large proportion of transport mode share. Certain neighbourhood built environment features have been shown to influence uptake of active travel (walking and cycling), and thus may have beneficial associations with cardiometabolic health outcomes, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. This systematic review synthesised Australian evidence on associations between low-carbon built environment attributes (green space and those promoting active transport) and cardiometabolic health in adults. Six databases were systematically searched; 33 articles met the inclusion criteria and 22 were included in a meta-analysis. We found strong evidence for an association of higher levels of walkability with lower risk of overweight/obesity, while there was some evidence linking higher land use mix and supportive walking/cycling infrastructure with lower overweight/obesity risk. Australian policy and advocacy efforts favouring more walkable neighbourhoods (compact, dense, and mixed-use) may have dual benefits for population health and the sustainability of cities. These findings highlight the importance of urban planning and public health practitioners working together to achieve healthy and sustainable cities for all.