Abstract: This paper presents preliminary findings of an ongoing ARC Linkage study exploring the relationship between human health and the built environment in four diverse residential sites in NSW. The aim of the research is to understand the role the built environment plays in supporting health and well-being as part of everyday living. The focus is on how the built environment facilitates physical activity, social interaction and access to fresh and nutritious foods – all of which contribute to preventing chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, depression and cancer. The first part of the paper provides a comprehensive overview of the study’s research methodology, illustrating how each segment of data collection is related and in turn, informs the research questions. Observational assessments, mapping, surveys and measurements of the physical, social and food environments are core elements of the study, along with focus groups and interviews. The paper describes the development and function of the Healthy Neighbourhood Audit, which provides for the mapping of key features and infrastructure, as well as enabling the recording of detailed environmental observations about the use of space. An overview of the instruments used to record the price, availability and quality of foods in the subject sites is also provided. We discuss selected outcomes of both neighbourhood audits and food environment assessments, showing how data collection currently underway will further augment these findings. This research, involving partners from the health and built environment sectors, is contributing to our understanding of the complex and contextual nature of supportive environments for healthy living.