Place-focused physical activity research, human agency, and social justice in public health: Taking agency seriously in studies of the built environment

► Place-focused activity research can potentially improve health and social justice. ► Any activity resource or barrier must influence the mind before shaping health. ► People are perceptive, critical, and deliberative in their behavioral responses. ► Attention to human agency can improve the science and ethics of ongoing research. ► Taking agency seriously is a powerful expression of respect for persons.