What started out as a small community effort to clean up a neighborhood, has now evolved into an innovative self-sustaining, green park project. The idea of building a park near WAYS elementary school first came to Heal the Bay and Kendra Okonkwo, founder of the WAYS elementary charter school in South LA, after conducting an environmental assessment of the WAYS neighborhood. Okonkwo and Refugio Mata, a program organizer for Heal the Bay, noticed an abandoned alley behind the WAYS school. Because park space in the area was limited, they decided to work with community residents and form collaborations with local organizations, to develop plans for a park. Students from WAYS and community members offered their support by providing input, participating in neighborhood meetings, and ...
In order to address the rising trend of obesity in the state of Utah, public and private partners gathered to develop the Utah Nutrition and Physical Activity Plan. This 10-year strategic plan provides strategies and addresses environmental issues that may impede individuals from participating in physical activity. Those who participated in the development of the plan are listed. The plan outlines specific goals for specific settings along with short-term, medium-term, and long-term strategies to get there. Examples of settings where changes may occur include, the work place, schools, and community settings. The plan also addresses health equity and acknowledges that lower income and minority populations are less have access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Plans for ...
When city planners and public health officials work together great things can happen for a community. Take for instance the community of Kettleman city, in King's County. In 2005, specialists from both fields gathered for four lunchtime roundtables where health, the built environment, and smart growth codes were discussed. Soon the team met with community residents who expressed their greatest health and safety concerns, which included: a pedestrian crossing along Highway 41 used by children who walk to school, and lack of fresh produce in their community. With the help of the planning team, residents in Kettleman were able to get a $140,000 Cal Trans Environmental Justice Grant to determine what safety measures should be added to the crossway. Public health officials were also able to ...
Residents living on the Westside of the city of Ventura needed park space. Only three parks existed in their community and only 1.5 acres of park space was available per 1,000 residents who lived there. After several months of working with city officials, local residents finally convinced the City of Ventura to purchase a 2.4 acre lot which will be used to develop a park for the community. Plans for the park are being developed and now residents are working to make sure that city officials will see the development of this project through to completion. According to a blog post from the City Project, on February 4, 2013 the Ventura City Council unanimously agreed to purchase property for the development of a new park. Members from the community attended the meeting where they showed their ...
States, cities, and towns can help create healthier communities by implementing community wide Complete Street policies which serve to reduce traffic congestion and design communities with all road users in mind--including bicyclists and pedestrians of all ages and abilities. According to a report entitled Complete Streets Policy Analysis of 2011, prepared by Smart Growth America, there were 350 Complete Street policies throughout the country as of January 1, 2012. At the state level there were roughly 30 policies that called for Complete Streets. Learn more about the fundamentals of Complete Streets, changing policy, and implementation of Complete Streets, by visiting the resources below. Resources Complete Streets: A to Z A list of Complete Street policies that exist across the ...
Prior to 2010, San Antonio ranked 6th in the nation for childhood obesity and 12th for adult obesity. By initiating a Complete Streets initiative, the city has improved safety and encouraged alternative means of transportation, including walking, biking, and public transportation. The city's Complete Street's policy was adopted on September 29, 2011, and took effect in October of 2011. San Antonio Metrohealth collaborated with the City’s Planning and Community Development Department and led an interdepartmental working group of planning and engineering professionals on the creation of complete streets recommendations. Implementing a Complete Streets policy has helped make the road safer for cyclists and pedestrians alike, and has provided Latino children living in San Antonio with an ...
The Los Angeles Food Policy Council (LAFPC) has set exciting policy targets for 2012-2013. The purpose of the food policy council is to bring together leaders from across sectors, geographies, and socioeconomic communities to build new relationships and to strengthen, facilitate, and coordinate change. LAFPC is a collective impact initiative, working to make Southern California a Good Food region for everyone where food is healthy, affordable, fair and sustainable. LAFPC calls for a number of polices that would increase the number of healthy food retail outlets in underserved areas. They support policies that transform neighborhood markets and convenience stores in South and East Los Angeles into healthy food retailers. They also support policies that authorize street food vending in ...
The San Antonio Active Living Council (ALC) recommends a number of ways to promote physical activity among Latino children. Some examples include: requesting a presentation by an ALC Member; hosting a forum; volunteering on an ALC committee; supporting policy, environmental, and system changes for active living; and promoting and implementing the Active Living Plan for a Healthier San Antonio. View the ALC website for more details and resources on how you can get involved in getting your community to become more active. You can also check out the widely recognized Active Living Plan the ALC developed for San ...
A new Winthrop University poll, which included responses from more than 1,069 residents in early April, shows 59.5 percent of those interviewed said they strongly or somewhat favor forbidding Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, recipients from buying unhealthy foods with the food ...