How we get around each day shapes our physical and mental health, and overall quality of life. Walkable communities are consistently found to be healthier communities. Demand for walkability has steadily increased. Regional transportation planning agencies and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) play a critical role in planning and constructing more convenient, attractive, and safe places to walk or bike for transportation, recreation, and/or health because they are the gatekeepers of billions of transportation dollars. The American Public Health Association and Transportation for America developed a policy paper outlining four policy levers for MPOs to prioritize health in their plans, projects, and policies to decrease health disparities and increase access to local ...
Walkable communities are safe and healthy communities. The Every Body Walk! Collaborative (EBWC) and partners developed the Social Justice Toolkit to identify key areas where walking and walkability can help address disparities within communities. The toolkit includes talking points and sample messages and resources that relate to the development of safe spaces for walking. One resource in this toolkit is the US Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration's A Resident's Guide for Creating Safer Communities for Walking and Biking, which includes facts, ideas, and resources to help residents learn about traffic problems that affect pedestrians and bicyclists and to find ways to help address these problems. Section One: What's the problem here?
Section Two: ...
An underground lab experiment in New York City (28.6% Latino) just successfully tested if solar panel skylights could sustain plant life to determine if an underground park could thrive. This lab experiment is the result of five years of discussions about transforming the Williamsburg Bridge Trolley Terminal, which stopped servicing passengers in 1948, into an underground park with a cultural center and area for concerts. The terminal has been out of operation longer that it was in operation. In 2011, two urbanist entrepreneurs proposed the idea for the Delancy Underground, which is now known as the Lowline. Reclaiming public space is at the heart of growing healthy communities and economics around the world, particularly when space has gone unused for decades. The ...
Four Texas cities are in the top 10 nationwide cities for speed-related fatal crashes. At 40 miles per hour, 90% of people who are hit while walking do not survive, compared to only 10% at 20 mph. Latinos make up a larger portion of pedestrian fatalities than whites. Speed is the most important factor to regulate to improve pedestrian safety for Latinos and all pedestrians. On February 10, 2017, Texas State Representative Celia Israel called for passage of the Safe Neighborhood Streets Bill (HB 1368) to lower the default speed limit in urban areas by 5 miles per hour, from 30 mph to 25 mph. Decreasing the speed limit to 25 mph would increase a pedestrian's odds of surviving a collision by 43%, according to one source, and could reduce disparities in pedestrian ...
Public transportation matters for healthy food access. When grocery stores aren't close to home, which is the case in many Latino neighborhoods, people lack access to healthy food-and various other destinations. Public transportation can play a huge role in connecting families in disadvantaged areas to healthy resources to build a culture of health for everyone. The Safe Routes to School National Partnership developed a 2-page fact sheet which identifies inequities in access and provides examples of strategies for transit agencies to connect neighborhoods and grocery stores. Safe Routes also developed a fact sheet outlining the role of transit agencies in improving food access. Check out these solutions to help transit agencies create and strengthen the connection between ...
In all 50 states, at least 20% of the population now has obesity, according to The Milken Institute report, "Weighing Down America" that shows in detail the threat of obesity on rising rates of disease, our health care system, and our economy.
Among the report are the facts that: Finds total cost of Americans' obesity equals to 8.2 % of U.S. GDP
Obesity costs our nation’s collective well-being and prosperity $1.4 trillion annually
Obesity and excess weight is an expanding health problem for more than 60% of Americans These are just a few of the findings from the report. Unfortunately, many health conditions are caused by obesity including cancer, type 2 diabetes, kidney failure, hypertension, congestive heart failure, asthma, Alzheimers and more. Cost is also a ...
Physical inactivity is one of the 10 leading risk factors for death worldwide and causes economic harm at both the social and individual level. Good news is that physical inactivity is modifiable and regardless of weight status, you can reduce your risk of disease and death by being physically active for 150 minutes per week, or 22 minutes per day. However, lack of access to safe places to walk, bike, and play is a major barrier for Latinos to be active and healthy. The America Council on Exercise (ACE) released a new policy position statement on The Inactivity Epidemic. ACE seeks public policies that will reverse the epidemic of inactivity by making physical activity more accessible for all populations. ACE believes a public-policy change is required to reverse decades-long ...
School playgrounds, fields, and gyms sit unused afterschool and on weekends in Maricopa County, Arizona (30.5% Latino), and across the country, because schools are locked up after classes end. Access to safe places to play is critical to reduce obesity among Latino kids and families and boost their mental, physical, and emotional health. However, schools close their gates for many reasons such as, concerns about liability, vandalism, and additional staffing and maintenance costs. Noteworthy, Arizona state law protects schools from liability when outdoor facilities are open to the public. Also vandalism decreases with better lighting and when more people utilize the park, and many schools across the country establish partnerships with parks and recreation departments to help with ...
Malls are often partially blamed for the decay of walkable downtowns and linked with greater vehicle dependence, thus depriving cities of sustainable economic growth and safe places for kids and families to walk. A failed mall in Meriden, Connecticut (28.7% Latino) was transformed into the type of public space that boosts mental, physical, and emotional health, as well as the economy. A mall was built in a small town between Hartford and New Haven in 1970. Due to inadequate flood control-underground pipes blocked three brooks-during construction of the mall, flooding was an issue. In 1992 and 1996, flooding caused $26 million in damages to the downtown area. The City began the Harbor Brook Flood Control project which continues today. The vacancy rate of retailers the mall ...
