New Greenway Provides a Path to Resilience & Increased Physical Activity

An abandoned alley in Lake Worth, Fla., was re-developed into an attractive greenway through team work and perseverance by a researcher, school district employee, city staff, and the community. The greenway will increase the area’s walkability and connect two neighborhoods to a nearby high school. The Issue of Space for Physical Activity Awareness: Dr. Ruth McCaffrey, a trained nurse and professor at Florida Atlantic University, was keenly aware that obesity was a growing concern in Lake Worth, Fla. About 30% of the city’s 35,000 residents live in poverty, and 40% are Latino—with a growing number of families migrating there from Guatemala. Several parts of town lack adequate spaces for physical activity, and the way the city was designed impedes physical activity. For ...