Active Community Environments

1
ActiveCommunity Environments
Presentation adapted fromActive Community
Environments Healthy Active Oregon Training
Institute
2
Building Safe, Healthy and Livable Communities

• Decisions about the built environment work to
  promote or prevent
• Public Safety
• Air Quality
• Safe Water
• Sanitation
• Healthy Community Conditions

3
Community conditions can contribute to increases
in chronic disease
Could suburban sprawl be partly to blame for
inactivity and poor nutrition?
4
What is an Active Community Environment?
Places where people of all ages and abilities
can easily enjoy walking, bicycling, and other
forms of physical activity. CDC initiative
Portland, OR
Joseph, OR
5
Opportunities for Everyone
6
(No Transcript)
7
Current Community Conditions

• Often do not foster or encourage walking or biking

8
Theres a health crisis in the US
9
Why does obesity matter?
Obesity and Disease Risk
? Obesity ? Diabetes ? High Blood
Pressure ? Heart Disease ? Stroke ?
Arthritis ? Asthma ? Some cancers
10
Obesity Trends Among U.S. AdultsBRFSS, 1990
(BMI 30, or 30 lbs. overweight for 5 4
person)
No Data 11
Obesity Trends Among U.S. AdultsBRFSS, 1996
(BMI 30, or 30 lbs. overweight for 5 4
person)
No Data 1519
12
Obesity Trends Among U.S. AdultsBRFSS, 2000
(BMI 30, or 30 lbs. overweight for 5 4
person)
No Data 1519 20
13
Obesity Trends Among U.S. AdultsBRFSS, 2007
(BMI 30, or 30 lbs. overweight for 5 4
person)
No Data 1519 2024 2529
30
14
The Problem in Numbers
Adults Overweight Obese Oregon 37
22 Douglas County 37 27 64
8th Grade Overweight Risk of Overweight Oregon
10 15 Douglas 11 18
29 11th grade Oregon 11
13 Douglas 12 14 26
Keeping Oregonians Healthy, 2007
15
Chronic Diseases in Douglas County

• Prevalence of chronic conditions in Douglas
  County is higher than Oregon, 2000-2004
• Arthritis
• Asthma
• Heart Attack
• Coronary Heart Disease
• Stroke
• Diabetes
• High Blood Pressure
• High Blood Cholesterol

In 2005, hospitalization costs for chronic
disease were more than 1.4 billion in Oregon.
This does not include outpatient costs such as
doctor visits or medication.
16
How much of it is preventable?
Risks for Chronic Disease Deaths
50 !!!
50 Modifiable Behaviors
50 Biologic Susceptibility
17
Modifiable Behaviors Associated with Deaths, US,
2000
Four hundred thousand!
Source Mokdad et.al., JAMA 2004
18
How much physical activity do we need each day to
stay healthy?

• 30 min a day of physical activity (cumulative)
• moderate level/most days

Surgeon Generals Recommendation
19
In Douglas County. . .
67 of 8th graders 54 of 11th graders get 60
min of activity at least 5 days a week
52 of adults get moderate activity 30 min at
least 5 days a week
Keeping Oregonians Healthy, 2007
20
In Douglas County. . .

• Only 22 of 8th graders eat 5 servings of fruits
  veggies daily
• Only 18 of 11th graders eat 5 servings of
  fruits veggies daily
• Only 20 of adults eat 5 servings of fruits
  veggies daily

21
Community Design Matters
Changes in the community environment to promote
physical activity may offer the most practical
approach to prevent obesity or reduce its
co-morbidities. Restoration of physical activity
as part of the daily routine represents a
critical goal. Dr. Jeffrey Koplan, Dr. William
Dietz, CDC
22
Why Walking and Bicycling?
Automobile trips that can be safely replaced by
walking or bicycling offer the first target for
increased physical activity in communities. Dr.
Jeffrey Koplan, Dr. William Dietz, CDC
23
What is the potential for more walking
bicycling?

• Only 6.4 of all trips are on foot or by bicycle
• 75 of trips under one mile are by auto

24
Travel Choices by AdultsNetherlands, Germany,
USA
100
80
60
40
20
0
18-24
25-39
40-64
65-74
75
18-44
45-64
65-74
75
16-24
25-39
40-64
65
The Netherlands
Germany
USA
25
What about children going to school?

• Only 31 of trips under 1 mile are by walking
• Only 2 of trips under 2 miles are by bicycling

26
Does the built environment matter?
A growing number of studies show that people in
activity-friendly environments are more likely to
be physically active in their leisure
time. Source of following quotes Active Living
Research San Diego State University www.activelivi
ngresearch.org
27
Access to Facilities

• People get more physical activity if
  neighborhoods provide a high-quality environment
  for outdoor activity.
• People in areas without public outdoor recreation
  facilities are more likely to be overweight.
• The closer people live to a bikeway, the more
  likely they are to use it.
• 43 of people with safe places to walk within 10
  minutes of home meet recommended activity levels.

28
Walkability

• Residents in a highly walkable neighborhood
  engaged in about 70 more minutes per week of
  physical activity than residents in a
  low-walkability neighborhood.

29
Activity-friendly environments affect seniors

• Older adults walk more when stores are nearby.

30
What is needed for healthy change?
Changes in individual behavior
Proactive encouragement by health care providers

Community designs that make walking biking
safe, easy enjoyable!
31
How do we create Active Community Environments?
Swimming pools, gyms...
32
How do we create Active Community Environments?
Parks with trails...
33
How do we create Active Community Environments?
Playgrounds
34
How do we create Active Community Environments?
Street designs that improve pedestrian bicycle
convenience, comfort safety
Development patterns that improve the walking
biking environment
35
Which designs encourage more activity?
Street design matters
36
Which designs encourage more activity?
Street design matters
37
Which designs encourage more activity?
Community design patterns matter
38
Street designs can improve pedestrian bicycle
convenience, comfort safety

• Facilities
• Traffic Calming
• Crossings
• Intersections

39
Facilities add sidewalks
40
Facilities add bike lanes
41
Traffic Calming Does it work?
Neighborhood speed bumps protect children, study
finds
Children who live on streets near speed bump 60
less likely to be hit injured
American Journal of Public Health (March 30 2004)
42
Crossings Enable pedestrians to cross the street
Wide commercial arterials with heavy traffic are
the most challenging problem
43
Crossings Enable pedestrians to cross the street
Median islands
44
Crossings Enable pedestrians to cross the street
Curb extensions
45
Intersections enable pedestrians to navigate
through them
46
Intersections enable pedestrians to navigate
through them
Refuge islands
47
Transit make it accessible on foot or by bicycle
Provide shelters
48
Development patterns can improve the walking
bicycling environment

• Mix of land uses
• Site design
• Interconnected streets
• Human-scale design

49
Mixed land use schools, shops, parks close by
Which store are you most likely to walk to?
50
Mixed land use schools, shops, parks close by
Which school are your kids most likely to walk to?
51
Separating housing from industry was a good thing
150 years ago
52
Mixed land use schools, shops, parks close by
Create neighborhoods
53
Site design getting to buildings on foot or by
bike
How do you get there from here?
54
Interconnected streets reduce walking/biking
distances
55
Human-scale design create inviting memorable
places
56
Human-scale design create inviting memorable
places
57
Rethinking why we have cities

• To be closer together
• To minimize travel
• To maximize exchange

58
Our task is to create communities
not just move people and goods
59
Imagine we built roads following these 3
Principles

• Roads should be useful in themselves, not serve
  simply as conduits to someplace else.

Reprinted from SUV's Stealing the Public
Wealth, by David Burwell, in Project for Public
Spaces' 'Making Places' newsletter(http//pps.org
/newsletter/Mar2003.htm)
60
Imagine we built roads following these 3
Principles

• Roads should create place, not destroy it.

Reprinted from SUV's Stealing the Public
Wealth, by David Burwell, in Project for Public
Spaces' 'Making Places' newsletter(http//pps.org
/newsletter/Mar2003.htm)
61
Imagine we built roads following these 3
Principles

• Roads should honor and dignify people, not
  diminish them.

Reprinted from SUV's Stealing the Public
Wealth, by David Burwell, in Project for Public
Spaces' 'Making Places' newsletter(http//pps.org
/newsletter/Mar2003.htm)
62
WHAT CAN YOU DO?

• Small Steps Can Make a Big Difference

63

• Small Steps Can Make a Big Difference

• Walk or bike to work or school

64

• Small Steps Can Make a Big Difference

Walk or bike to activities
65

• Small Steps Can Make a Big Difference

Combine modes - walk to transit
66

• Small Steps Can Make a Big Difference

Be a better driver demand others be better
drivers

• Let pedestrians cross the street
• Ask the police to enforce the laws
• Be courteous when crossing the street

67

• Small Steps Can Make a Big Difference

Employers - offer incentives and support

• Bike parking
• Transit passes
• Worksite Wellness

68

• Small Steps Can Make a Big Difference

Small projects

• Start a walking school bus
• Support Walk-to-School Day
• Mobilize to promote parks, sidewalks, and
  recreation

69
Active Community Environments

• What can we do together to create a
• Healthy Active Douglas County?