Swan Lake Neighborhood Association

City Planning Affects Public Health

Nov 29, 2006

Editors Note: the following article is courtesy of Tulsa Now. They can be reached at:
E-mail: newsletter@tulsanow.org
Web: www.tulsanow.org

A new study by researchers at the Saint Louis University School of Public Health tells us something we already know: City planning affects public health.
While regular moderate physical activity can prevent many diseases and prolong life, most Americans don?’t move around enough to stay healthy.
City planners are starting to take notice.
Understanding how the built environment affects the lives and the health of residents, city planners are beginning to implement policies that encourage people to get out of their cars and interact with the world around them.

Here are some of the most important factors that encourage people to be physically active as part of their daily lives:

Land use: A mix of commercial and residential development in a community increases a person?’s desire to be more active.
Hiking and biking trails and crosswalks do work to promote walking and bike use.

Transportation: Sidewalks and mass transit support physical activity because they get people out of cars and encourage a more active lifestyle.

Aesthetics: Monuments and historic attractions also encourage people to move about.
In addition people are more inclined to walk in communities that are well maintained and have pleasant things to see.

Institutional and organizational policies: Encouraging physical education programs at schools, flextime on the job, and having showers and gyms in the workplace promote an active lifestyle.

Promotions: Campaigns and media messages build awareness of the importance of seizing opportunities for activity, which increases movement.

Public policies: Appropriating highway funds to create bike lanes and city funds to improve parks and recreation facilities give the necessary financial muscle to build an activity-friendly infrastructure.

Travel patterns: People are more likely to bike or take mass transit to work when they see other people doing the same thing.

Learn more about how communities throughout the country are improving the health of their citizens by changing the built environment: www.ActiveLiving.org