Creating and Sustaining Healthy Communities Kim Irwin, MPH Executive Director Alliance for Health Promotion

Health by Design is a coalition of diverse partners working to ensure that Indianapolis and communities around the state have neighborhoods, public spaces and transportation infrastructure that promote physical activity and healthy living.

Our priority goals: Increase walking, biking, and other public transit options. Increase neighborhood, city, and regional connectivity. Encourage land use decision making that promotes public health. Reduce dependency on automobiles.

Are Indiana’s adults healthy? 34.8% are overweight 30.8% are obese (8 th highest in US) 29.2% do not participate in any physical activity in the past month 32.8% have been told they have high blood pressure 10.2% have been told they have diabetes 13.9% have been told they have asthma Source: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, Adults (18+ years of age), Indiana, 2011

A Policy, Systems, Environmental Change Model Knowledge and skills (traditional PH approach) + Environments =Sustainable behavior change

Socio-Ecological Model

For improved public health, we must also become engaged in discussions about transportation & land use. Health by Design’s Approach

Active Living A way of life that integrates physical activity into daily routines “When communities organize themselves around the automobile as the primary mode of transportation, they effectively engineer physical activity right out of the equation.” Neil Caudle

Place Matters Where you live determines how well you live. Tell me your zip code, I’ll tell you your life expectancy.

“The built environment is social policy in concrete.” Dr. Richard Jackson, UCLA

We know how to build complete streets

Yet too often we end up with this…

…and this…

…and this.

We Need Options Nearly one-third of Americans don’t drive 55% of Americans would rather drive less & walk more. 57% would like to spend less time in the car 73% currently feel they have no choice but to drive as much as they do

50% of all trips are shorter than 3 miles 28% of trips are one mile or less 72% of these trips are made by auto Widening roads to reduce congestion is like loosening your belt to lose weight.

Public Transportation and Health Studies show that transit riders walk more per day than car commuters. Traffic injury & fatality rates decline as transit ridership increases. Reduced car trips improve air quality – Transit produces lower emissions per passenger mile.

We Need Options 47% of older Americans say it is unsafe to cross a major street near their home. 54% of older Americans living in inhospitable neighborhoods say they would walk and bike more often if the built environment improved.

Dangerous by Design An overwhelming proportion of pedestrian deaths have occurred “along roadways that were dangerous by design, streets that were engineered for speeding cards and made little or no provision for people on foot, in wheelchairs or on a bicycle.” Transportation for America

Incomplete Streets are Unsafe

Crash Facts Pedestrians and cyclists disproportionately face risk – Ethnic and racial minorities – Children and older adults Image from Dangerous by Design, T4A

Speed Kills

Designing & Building Healthy Places Start with a Vision Integrate Land Use and Transportation Planning Institutionalize What Works / Dan Burden

Prioritize Walking and Biking – Develop, adopt and implement master plans – Set explicit goals for bike/ped mode share – Dedicate funding to bike/ped infrastructure – Support policies and activities to promote safety – Adopt design guidelines – Prioritize connections to transit – Require participation of private development Designing & Building Healthy Places

Walkability People with access to sidewalks are more likely to walk and meet the Surgeon General’s recommendations for physical activity. People who report having access to walking/jogging trails are 55% more likely to be physically active.

What’s more inviting?

Comprehensive Land Use Planning Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Mixed-income Housing Infill Development Rehab of Blighted Areas Designing & Building Healthy Places

Zoning – Mixed-Use – Form Based Codes – Overlay Zones – Transfer of Development Rights Incentives, Bonuses, Waivers / Eric Lowry Designing & Building Healthy Places

Parking Policies – A parking ‘problem’ is actually a good thing! – #BlackFridayParking

Here's the great thing: the solution to this problem is really, really easy. All a city needs to do is repeal their parking minimums. If you want to stop this ridiculous waste of resources, support small businesses, encourage reuse of existing properties, limit environmental degradation and make your city financially stronger, just repeal your minimum parking requirement. No lawyer or expensive consultant is necessary. - Jonathan Nettler, Planetizen

Open Spaces, Parks, and Recreation – Greenfield & farmland preservation – Plan for connectivity and access – Use out-of-service rail corridors – Convert vacant lots into community gardens, parks and other green spaces – Use joint-use agreements to increase activity options – Integrate greenway plans, trails and parks with land-use, transportation, economic development plans and subdivision ordinances Designing & Building Healthy Places

Include Healthy Food Access in Comp Plans Promote, Expand and Protect Sites for Community Gardens and Farmers’ Markets Zone to Limit/Restrict Fast Food Establishments Restrict Mobile Vending of Calorie-Dense, Nutrient-Poor Foods Provide Permits/Licenses and Incentives Designing & Building Healthy Places

Complete Streets Complete Streets are streets for everyone. They are designed and operated to enable safe access for all users. Pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and public transportation users of all ages and abilities are able to safely move along and across a complete street.

The Benefits of Complete Streets Complete streets make economic sense. Complete streets improve safety. Complete streets encourage walking and biking. Complete streets ease transportation woes. Complete streets help children. Complete streets are good for air quality. Complete streets make fiscal sense.

Design Elements All users must be able to safely move along and across a complete street. Complete streets are appropriate in all communities, regardless of size or setting. Each complete street is unique

Complete Streets Policies Creating complete streets means transportation agencies must change their orientation from building primarily for cars. A 2-Step Process: – Institutionalize - All New Projects – Target Retrofits Policy Types & Levels – Public: legislation, ordinances, resolutions, executive order – Internal: policies, plans, manuals – Local, MPO, State, Federal

The Best Complete Streets Policies Apply to all phases of all projects Feature direct use of the latest and best design standards Allow flexibility in balancing user needs Specify any exceptions and require high-level approval of them.

1.Bloomington/Monroe County MPO (policy, 2009) 2.Madison County MPO (policy, 2010) 3.Northwest IN MPO (resolution, 2010) 4.City of Columbus (plan, 2010) 5.City of Richmond (plan, 2011) 6.City of Frankfort (resolution, 2012) 7.Evansville MPO (policy, 2012) 8.Tippecanoe County MPO (plan, 2012) 9.City of Indianapolis (ordinance, 2012) 10.City of Westfield (resolution, 2012) 11.City of Peru (ordinance, 2013) Complete Streets policies now cover 36% of Hoosiers (over 2 million people)

Complete Streets The Indianapolis Complete Streets ordinance was adopted unanimously by the City-County Council and signed into law by Mayor Greg Ballard in August It was named the best policy in the nation in 2012.

Advocacy Campaigns Sign-on letters Petitions Media Advocacy Social Media Neighborhood Meetings Meetings with Decision Makers

School siting criteria – Build new schools in central locations near residential areas and away from busy roads – Renovate or rebuild within neighborhoods Policy barriers – Construction funding formulas – Minimum acreage standards / Dan Burden Designing & Building Healthy Places

Safe Routes to School In 1969, approximately 50% of children walked or bicycled to school – 87% of children living within one mile of school Today, fewer than 15% of schoolchildren walk or bicycle to school

Safe Routes to School Has there been a SRTS award in your town? Increase School/Community Participation Walk/Bike to School Day State Partner Network / Dan Burden

So What Can You Do? Learn and get involved in the process Lead or participate in an advocacy group Examine the environment and policies in your community Invite others to get involved Take action!

Active Living Workshops Full-day workshop and evening public meeting Generate momentum and recommendations for active living improvements Governments and nonprofits can apply Applications due 1/10/14

Questions? Health by Design 401 W. Michigan Street Indianapolis, IN an Alliance for Health Promotion initiative