[Illinois Public Health Inst.Keymaster]

#1094

Step It Up! Prioritization of Community Supports for Walking Among US Adults – Examines adults’ perceptions of the presence and prioritization of four community supports for walking including: access to walkable locations, safe streets, walking groups, and promotional campaigns. Findings: Physical activity levels increased when it was perceived all 4 supports were in place. Also, community supports differed by geographic location, race/ethnicity, and income level. The presence of some supports were lower among people in non-metropolitan areas, among non-Hispanic blacks, and among lower income levels. How many supports do you feel are in place in your community? What can we as public health/transportation professionals do to improve/increase these supports in our community?

[APA-IL WebmasterKeymaster]

#1137

One suggestion if you’re looking to improve or increase community supports is to check out a new report from the international design and engineering firm Arup. The report titled Cities Alive: Towards a Walking World is available as a free download. The report has beautiful graphics that illustrate the relationships between walkability’s benefits and suggested implementable actions. For example, if implementing a wayfinding system was the action, per the diagram on page 12, the expected benefit should be a social benefit, specifically in safety and placemaking. You can then read on in the report to find lists of actions, case studies, and hundreds of resources. The section on Social Cohesion and Equality starting on page 47 talks about how design and inclusion go hand-in-hand in disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Arup also recently published Cities Alive: Designing for Ageing Communities which identifies specific needs of older people and proposes strategies and actions that cities can take to make communities more age-friendly including creating walkable environments (complete with actions and case studies as well).