Transcript Document
Integrating Health into Planning
and Community Design, Part II
Building Healthier Communities
Fundamentals and Strategies for Integrating Public Health
into Community Design
4th Annual Partners for Smart Growth Conference
January 27, 2005, Miami Beach
A Convergence of Priorities
Public Health
Community Planning
and Design
Physically Active
Communities
Planning/Public Health Chronology
(from a planner’s perspective)
1850 - 1920s: The public health roots of planning
1920 – 1930s: Zoning and subdivision regulations emerge to deal with
nuisance issues, property values, quality of life
1945 – present: Urban decentralization, vast changes in jobs/housing
proximity, consumer preferences, wealth; (now) conventional development
patterns become norm
1970 – 1985: State growth management movement
1990 – present: Major change in Federal transportation priorities ISTEA
(1990); TEA-21 (1997); TEA 3 (2003 reauthorization)
1990 – present: Smart growth movement
1997 – present: Public health and planning renew their marriage vows
Barriers to Health and Physical Activity:
Is Community Design Part of the
Problem?
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Separated land uses
Auto-dominated community design
Large lots
Impervious surfaces
Ignoring human scale
Prohibited connections between origins and
destinations
Public Health Profession Has Also
Reached Some New Conclusions
• Individual interventions have been only moderately
successful
• It’s time to turn attention to environmental factors
• Development patterns have altered the balance of
human behavior
• The social costs of current development patterns are
greater than traffic congestion
• Conventional suburbia may be neither “safe” or
“healthy”
Level of
Routine
Physical Activity
Built environment
factors
Social/cultural
factors
How, where,
and to what extent
we travel
Psychological,
cognitive
& emotional
factors
Attitudes /
preferences
Sociodemographic
factors
Planning’s Degree of Influence
on the Decision to Walk or Bike
Initial considerations
If feasible
Trip barriers
If overcome
Destination barriers
If overcome
Decision to walk/bike
Family responsibility
Work requirements
Preferences
Distance
Time
Weather
Geography
Route feasibility
Route attractiveness
Traffic safety
Storage
Showers
Employer support
•Regional structure
•Density and intensity
•Land use mix
•Street connectivity
•Street scale
•Aesthetic qualities
Dimensions of
Community Design that
Affect Physical Activity
APA’s Five Strategic Points of Intervention
Where Planners Can Promote Change
1. Visioning and goal
setting
2. Rethinking planning in
all contexts
3. Local implementation
tools
4. Site Design and
Development
5. Siting Public Facilities
and Capital Spending
1. Visioning and Goal Setting
• Begins with a discussion of
shared values
• Results in a shared image of
a community imagines most
desired future
• Provides a broad context
within which goals are set
and plans are developed
• Majority of planning efforts
now launched with a
visioning exercise (reflective
of more citizen participation)
2. Rethinking State and
Local Planning
• Comprehensive
plans
• Neighborhood plans
• Redevelopment
plans
…2. Functional Plans
• Functional Plans
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Health services
Bicycle and pedestrian
Transit
Streets and circulation
Trails
Parks
Housing
Economic development
Schools and campuses
3. Local Implementation Tools
• Zoning and subdivision
regulations
– Rethink development
density
– Mix land uses
– Connect streets and routes
– Require sidewalks
– Open space
• Transit-oriented development
• Traditional neighborhood
development
…3. More Implementation Tools
• Capital improvement
programs
• Streetscape
improvements
• Traffic calming in
neighborhoods
• Transportation
enhancements
• Financial set asides
for parks and trails
4. Site Design and Development
• Improve the pedestrian
environment
• Security, lighting, visibility
• Protection from traffic
• Adequate accommodation
• Building orientation, setback
requirements
• Public art
• Architecture and appearance
• Street trees, landscaping,
open spaces
• Well connected routes
…4. Site Design and Development
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Bicycle facilities
Sidewalk requirements
Parking lot layout and design
Amenities/conveniences for
active people
• Encouraging signage
• Usable parks, open space
• Accessible stairways
5. Siting and Use of Public Facilities and
Capital Spending
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Public Spaces
Schools
Post offices
Libraries
Museums
Parks
City Hall
Campuses
Community Centers
Project Staff
Planning and Public Health
American Planning Association
Marya Morris, AICP, Project Director
National Association of County and City
Health Officials
Valerie Rogers, MPH, Project Director
Jessica Solomon
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Andrew Dannenberg, MD, MPH
Chris Kochtitsky,AICP, MPH
Laura Harden, MEd