Mark Fenton mark.fentonverizon.net

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Mark Fenton mark.fenton_at_verizon.net

• A Human Powered Community Can We Get There from
  Here?
• -
• Steps to a Healthier Clark County, Community
  Choices
• Vancouver, WA
• Oct. 2007

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My comments

• A brief rant about the real epidemic.
• Stickiness and four community elements to solve
  it.
• 4 Ps to success.
• Measuring what you want to change.
• Why it really matters!

Thanks for the weather!
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The bad news in just three numbers

• 30

Minutes of daily physical activity recommended by
Surgeon General. of American adults who meet
the S.G. recommendation (thru LTPA). ,000
Estimated annual deaths in America due to
physical inactivity poor nutrition. (2nd only
to tobacco.)
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365
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Surgeon Generals Report on Physical Activity
Health, 1996

• 30 minutes of moderately vigorous physical
  activity.
• Most (all) days of the week.
• Can be broken up.
• Reduced risk for CVD, diabetes, osteoporosis,
  obesity, dementia in old age, clinical
  depression, a growing list of cancers.

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Leisure Time Physical Activity in the US (MMWR
50 (09) 166-9 Mar. 9, 2001)
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Overweight Obesity TrendsClark County WA
1996-20052006 Community Report Card, Community
Choices
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US Obesity EpidemicOgden et. al. (JAMA 288,
14 Oct. 2002)
First sign of the chronic disease apocalypse?
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Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP)

• Compared three treatments for nationwide cohort
  (3,000) at risk for developing diabetes
  (elevated fasting glucose).
• Control Standard exercise and nutrition
  counseling placebo.
• Standard plus drug treatment Metformin
• Intensive lifestyle change Nutritional training,
  150 min./week physical activity.

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Diabetes Risk Reduction(Diabetes Prevention
Program NEJM, April 2002)
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My rant Its not just an epidemic of obesity,
its an epidemic of physical inactivity poor
nutrition.
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Why are the trends so bad? I believe it must be
the stickiness problem.
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Exercise ParticipationEffect of Short Bouts,
Home Treadmills(Jakicic et.al., JAMA 282, 16)
?
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Exercise ParticipationEffect of Short Bouts,
Home Treadmills(Jakicic et.al., JAMA 282, 16)
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Self-help vs. CommercialWeight Loss Programs
(Heshka et.al., JAMA 289, 14 April 9, 2003)
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BUT . . . how has advising people to take the
stairsworked?
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Energy ExpenditureLifestyle vs. Structured
Activity(Dunn et.al., JAMA 281, 4)
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Social Ecology ModelDeterminants of behavior
changeSallis, Owen, Physical Activity and
Behavioral Medicine.

• Individual (readiness, efficacy)
• Interpersonal (family, friends)
• Institutional (school, work, HMO)
• Community (networks, local govt)
• Public Policy (transport, land use)

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Socio-ecological success tobacco

• Individual education, medication
• Interpersonal 2nd hand smoke, kids
• Institutional work place bans
• Community smoke free policies
• Public Policy taxes, enforcement, advertising
  bans, SGs warning label.

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The ideal trip decision hierarchy
Nearly 25 of trips are less than or equal
to one mile. (1995, NPTS)

Walk
Bike
Transit
Drive
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Four questions to ask about the community

• Destinations within walk bike distance?
• Sidewalks, trails, bike lanes, crossings?
• Inviting settings for bikes pedestrians?
• Is it safe?

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The prescription in four stickeier places.

• Land use mix.
• Network of bike pedestrian facilities.
• Site design and details.
• Safety.

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Land use.
Civic anchors in town.
Smaller lot sizes . . .
Mixed use, multi-family.
. . . shared open space.
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Retail on the first floor offices, housing on
upper floors.
2000s (but its gentrifying)
1900s
But consider tools to keep affordable stock.
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Network of facilities

• Presence of sidewalks, bike lanes, pathways, safe
  crossings.
• Shorter blocks, more intersections, alleys.
• Access to trail, park, greenway, transit.

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Main St. cafe
lt Salt Lake City
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Transit riders are physically active. Besser,
Dannenberg, Amer. J. Prev. Med., 29 (4), Nov.
2005.
Just during the daily walk to transit

• Half of transit riders walk at least 19 mins.
• 29 get at least 30 mins. of activity.
• Minorities, poor (income lt15k/yr.), denser
  urban dwellers more likely to get 30 mins./day
  due to transit trips.

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Comfortable setting for drivers and pedestrians?
But how far back?
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1.0 Fenton
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Bike lanes add a buffer
An impressive 1.6 Fentons!
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Bicycle network options
Sacramento, CA
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Site design
Where would you prefer to shop on foot?
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Site design.

• Pedestrian friendly architecture is near the
  street, not set back.
• Trees, benches, water, aesthetics, lighting,
  scale.
• Details bike parking, open space, plantings,
  matls . . .

Walgreens Downtown.
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Safety.

• Engineering can dramatically improve safety.
• Increasing ped and bike trips decreases overall
  accident fatality rates.

(Jacobsen et.al., Transportation Safety)
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Traffic calming Horizontal vs. Vertical
Vertical Speed bumps, humps, tables.
Horizontal Change in direction, narrow lanes,
tighten turns.
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Its not all theoretical
Transit center
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It succeeds on safety network of facilities . .
.
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But fails on mix of uses, site design.
lt Turning a blank wall to the street
surrounding neighborhoods.
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Its often a question of long- vs. short-term
economic benefits
Which generates long term tax revenue?
Anywhere, America (Spartanburg, SC)
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Suburbanization of AmericaUS population shift,
1950-1996(after Bowling Alone, R. Putnam, 2000)
But what about more rural areas?

• Suburbia is now steadily consuming the landscape
  . . .

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More of the same?
2. Rural areas are where you can affect the shape
of development before its done!
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All of the health benefits.

• Economic
• Residents shop locally more stable tax base.
• Healthy employees, low turnover, happy
  employers.
• Healthy housing values
• (NAHB NAR surveys).

• Environmental
• Reduced traffic air, water, noise pollution.

• Social
• Equitable transportation.
• More personal connections.

• Safety
• Kids, elderly mobility.
• Crime deterrent.

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So how to get there?
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Be stickier with four Ps.
Physical Activity
Policy Change
Physical Projects
Chronic disease
Promotions/Programs
Congestion, pollution
Preparation/Partnership
Local economies
Safe Streets
?
Liveable Communities
(Active Living by Design approach.)
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Preparation Partnership
Collect data How where do people travel to
school, work, shop, recreate? Where are there
traffic collisions, delays? What activities do
people want and where?
Promote active opportunities.
Comunity workshop

• Convene partners, get input, spread the word.

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Promotions programs
Media walk bike to work, shop, school.
Safe Routes to School www.saferoutesinfo.org
Active- commute incentives E.g., tax free
transit pass, health benefit discount.

• Activity promotion programs.
• E.g. 10,000 steps a day
• www.americaonthemove.org

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Projects
Trails, traffic calming, signals, signs.

• Street, sidewalk improvements.

Median islands, mini-circles,
Neighborhood off 99th.
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Not all projects are costly
Bike lanes on-street parking lane narrowing.
Bike parking, lockers, showers informal paths,
countdown timers.

• Road paint, cones, curbs, plantings, . . .

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A safer form of downtown parking
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Policies
School siting, district lines, bus policies,
enforcement.
Zoning Mixed use, accessory dwellings, open
space conservation.
DPW standards painting, lanes widths,
crossings . . .
Site standards Setbacks, parking, access.
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E.g., Lincoln-Lancaster County, NE, Joint
Committee on Land Use Health(County Health
Planning Boards)
Create joint Planning Health review of all
development.

• Physical activity impacts
• Grid network of streets.
• Sidewalks in and out.
• Homes front the street.
• Open space, trail access?

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Consider a Complete Streets Policy
Des Moines, IA
All roadways to be designed for all users
(pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders,
drivers) of all ages abilities.
www.completestreets.org
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POLICIES The Wild Future of Physical Activity
Promotion?

• Bike fleets.
• www.SmartTrips.org
• www.completestreets.org
• Location efficient mortgages.
• Parking costs restrictions.
• Privatize highways fuel taxes.
• Congestion charges (London, 9)
• Mileage-based auto insurance.

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This means a whole new batch of partnerssome
familiar, some not

• Schools
• Planning Zoning
• Engineering, DPW
• Parks, Recreation
• Public Health Safety
• Historical, Social equity
• Chamber of Commerce
• Developers, Lenders, Realtors
• Neighborhood Associations, Church Groups
• Environment, Conservation

Policy information www.lgc.org www.vtpi.org
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Current typical measures
What you measure often drives where you put your
effort!

• Public Health
• Overweight/Obesity
• Heart Disease
• Diabetes
• Leisure, overall PA

• Physical Environment
• Trail mileage
• Public Park acreage
• Farm acreage
• Woodland acreage

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Clark County Adult PA Trends(Community Choices
Report Card 2006)
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Clark County Youth PA Trends(Community Choices
Report Card 2006)
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Current typical measures

• Next report card
• Sufficiently active (validate)
• Recreation (LTPA)
• Occupation
• Transport (e.g. mode share)
• Policy Measures
• Zoning, Subdivision regs.
• Roadway standards
• Worksite parking, TDM
• Environmental measures
• Land use mix, block length
• Bike/ped network
• Complete Streets
• SRTS

• Public Health
• Overweight/Obesity
• Heart Disease
• Diabetes
• Leisure, overall PA

• Physical Environment
• Trail mileage
• Public Park acreage
• Farm acreage
• Woodland acreage

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Why care about walking and walkable communities?

• The inactivity epidemic our kids may pay!
• 4,000 pedestrian, 40,000 motor vehicle,
  400,000 sedentary-related deaths/year.
• Smog alerts, over an hour of average commute
  time/day, traffic congestion and costs.
• OPEC drilling in ANWR oil wars in Mid-east.
• More eyes on the street, less crime.
• Shopping locally, higher employee retention,
  lower health care costs.

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This guy is a new model of success!