1. Safe Routes in Pasadena: A data driven approach to safe neighborhoods
Aimee Schultze, MPH, CHES
Harris County Public Health
Southern Obesity Summit
October 23, 2018

2. Objectives Attendees will: Review concepts of the built environment
Review key components and tools needed to conduct an environmental assessment
Review how to utilize innovative funding sources to implement built environment initiatives

3. What is the Built Environment
Includes all of the physical parts where we live, learn, work, worship, and play.
What is the Built Environment?
Includes all of the physical parts where we live, learn, work, worship, and play.
Man-made entities that form the physical characteristics of a community,
buildings, roads, sidewalks, transit, parks, schools, work sites, and homes.
The built environment can affect human behavior and health through by influencing rates of physical activity or healthy food consumption.
Therefore, the design of our communities plays a key role in disease prevention, especially for chronic conditions such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, and asthma.
Health is a complex equation based on a number of inputs leading to a number of outputs but in the end indeed place matters:
Where people live
Where people learn
Where people work
Where people worship
Where people play

4. Health & The Built Environment
"It is unreasonable to expect that people will change their behavior easily when so many forces in the social, cultural, and physical environment conspire against such change." - Institute of Medicine
What is Healthy Community Design? Planning and designing communities that make it easier for people to live healthy lives
Healthy community design is planning and designing communities that make it easier for people to live healthy lives.
Healthy community design links destinations that promote health, such as schools, parks, grocery stores, and work places, via a transportation network that facilitates safe travel for pedestrians, bicyclists, public transportation users, and automobile occupants.
It also links the traditional concepts of planning (such as land use, transportation, community facilities, parks, and open space) with health themes (such as physical activity, public safety, healthy food access, mental health, air and water quality, and social equity issues).
Opportunities to get outside and be more active
Ability to move throughout the community without a car
Safe
Accessible for all
Clean environments
Affordable & healthy food choices
***
Source:
Design for Health. Integrating health into comprehensive planning [online]. No date [cited 2010 Aug 11]. Available from URL:

5. Safe Routes to School (SRTS)
5 E’s – Engineering, Education, Enforcement, Encouragement, and Evaluation.
Promotes walking and bicycling to and from school
Potential Outcomes:
Increase in physical activity
Addresses safety issues
Exposure to air pollution
Could lead to positive built environment infrastructure
Exposure to air pollution
Pasadena most common pollutants are ozone and particulate matter (TCEQ, 2017).
Could lead to positive built environment infrastructure
Creation of walking/ bicycling trails, crosswalks, and other public amenities

6. SRTS Pasadena Create district-wide SRTS Plan
In collaboration with Pasadena ISD, Healthy Living Matters, HCPH Built Environment Unit, M.D. Anderson, and City of Pasadena

7. Environmental Scan Tool
Environmental assessment and mapping of pedestrian infrastructure around priority schools in Pasadena ISD

8. Priority Schools No/limited bus service Location within a neighborhood
High free/reduced lunch rate, and
Readiness by school administration to participate in walk/bike to school events
Richey
Gardens
Red Bluff
Sparks
Pomeroy
South Shaver
Parks

9. ArcGIS Mapping Mapped service area Segment ID’s created
0.5 mile walk from each school within the school’s zone.
Segment ID’s created
Service area was split into evenly distributed groups for environmental assessments.

10. Environmental Scan Tool

11. Pasadena Assessments
7 priority schools: Gardens, Parks, Pomeroy, Red Bluff, Richey, South Shaver, Sparks
372 Segments
15 Staff and Volunteers
Average 3 hours per school
Segment Procedure
Walk the segment
Observe environment and record survey responses
Record GPS coordinates of mappable street elements
Reconcile any differences/ discrepancies between responses.
Submit completed survey tool on tablet.

12. 86% of total assessment area contains sidewalks on at least one side
COP Ordinance: Sidewalks required on both sides of major and collector streets, one side on minor streets
85% of total assessment area contains sidewalks on at least one side
23% of segments represent incomplete network of sidewalks (incomplete & no sidewalks)
About 42% (n-155) of all segments deemed NOT safe and accessible (no sidewalks and NO answer)
333 total ADA ramps were mapped (indicating 89.5% of segments had at least one ADA ramp)

13. About 40% (n-137) of all segments deemed NOT safe and accessible (no sidewalks and NO answer)
No Answer – incomplete sidewalks, unsafe cross-slope, no ada ramps, large cracks or other sidewalk obstructions, no sidewalk at all
333 total ADA ramps were mapped (indicating 96.5% of segments had at least one ADA ramp)

14. Results from Combined Data
Distance from Sidewalk to edge of pavement/curb
- 25% At Edge
- 66% Less than 5ft
- 9% 5ft or greater

15. General Observations:
- Most assessment areas contained sidewalks
In need of repair or updates
Most inaccessible for all abilities
Lack ADA ramps, cracks, steep cross slope
Incomplete network
No bike lanes or shared streets
Cars blocking sidewalks
333 total ADA ramps were mapped (indicating 96.5% of segments had at least one ADA ramp)
This is a what a neighborhood typically looks like in Pasadena when sidewalks are on both side of the street.
Grass buffer
3-4 ft in width
Cross slope is affected by the landscaping and elevation, driveways
Missing an ADA ramp at intersection

16. 67 Crosswalks were mapped, of which 39 contained pedestrian signals and 28 did not.
Crosswalks may have not been mapped due to survey error or they were not visible due to faded paint.
Intersection on a main thouroughfare rd.
Faded Crosswalk
No pedestrian signals
Incomplete sidewalk network but a worn path, indicating people walk on the right side of the street (apartments on the right)

17. 62 Sidewalks obstruction mapped
- 46 were utility poles, boxes, or hydrants while
- 16 were considered "other" such as large cracks or severely overgrown landscaping

18. 2007-2015 Pedestrian and Bike Crash Data – TXDOT CRIS
– Ped/bike crash data
Infrastructure improvements benefit all Pasadena residents – not just school children
Parent Perception survey
Community Engagement – perception of safety (crime), speeding traffic, weather
Pedestrian and Bike Crash Data – TXDOT CRIS

19. Survey about Walking and Biking to School for Parents from the National Center for SRTS
parents of 4th graders in December 2017
(44%) estimated that the distance between home and their child’s school is less than a quarter of a mile.
67% of students are driven to school each morning,
27% walk

20. Recommendations Install lighting
Take steps to complete sidewalk network
Signalized pedestrian crossings at major roads and near schools
Incorporate traffic calming measures where possible
Explore feasibility of bike lanes
Install lighting – majority of ped crashes occur in dark conditions
Road oriented lighting in segments without any lighting
Explore pedestrian-scaled lighting immediately surrounding schools
Take steps to complete network
Remove sidewalk obstructions
ADA ramps at all crosswalks
Ensure continuity of existing sidewalks
Signalized pedestrian crossings at major roads and near schools
Incorporate traffic calming measures where possible
Explore feasibility of bike lanes

21. Funding Federal and State Transportation funds
Planning and Development organizations
Tactical Urbanism
Social Determinants of Health
Hospital Districts
Federal and State Transportation funds: Local MPO (metro planning organization) funds – use transportation funds from fed/state resources
Planning and Development organizations – American Planning Association, Urban Land Institute – funds or connections to subject matter experts in urban planning, traffic engineering, landscape architecture, etc
Tactical Urbanism –approach that uses short-term, low cost materials for scalable interventions. Ability to pilot test initiatives to study effectiveness before more costly and long term investments.
Social Determinants of Health – look at grants or programs that address social determinants of health or health community design
Hospital Districts – starting to invest in community programs to improve population health
City of Pasadena – using this report to apply for transportation funds via region MPO to enhance and expand current sidewalk program. Using EST data to see where sidewalks or improvements are needed

22. Harris County Public Health
{ Vision }
{ Values }
{ Mission }
Healthy People,
Healthy Communities,
A Healthy Harris County
Excellence
Compassion
Flexibility
Integrity
Accountability
Professionalism
Equity
Promoting a Health and Safe Community
Preventing Injury and Illness
Protecting You