Healthy Communities

Overview

Evidence suggests that how communities are designed--where schools are sited, how close homes are to businesses, and what kinds of transportation options are available, for instance--impacts health through access to nutrition, opportunities for physical activity, and protection of environmental quality. A range of health benefits result from good nutrition and regular physical activity: reduced risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and colon cancer; healthy bones, muscles, and joints; reduced depression and anxiety; and assistance for older adults with maintaining balance and preventing falls. Environmental pollution has been linked to asthma and other respiratory illnesses; cancer; cognitive development in children; immune deficiencies; and other health problems.

State policies can help maintain and create healthy communities in many different ways, including:

• encouraging greater collaboration between state land use, transportation, and health experts;
• promoting healthy lifestyles;
• supporting walkable and bikeable transportation projects;
• encouraging rehabilitation of older schools and construction of new schools within walking distance of neighborhoods;
• aiding in open space preservation;
• creating urban green spaces;
• protecting air and water quality; and
• providing incentives for brownfield redevelopment.

Communities that are designed to protect health achieve many more benefits, as well. Communities that have placed an emphasis on quality of life attributes--walkability, historic preservation, urban revitalization, transportation choices, mixed use development, and affordable housing--attract highly-skilled workers and new businesses. Moreover, communities that seek to reduce sprawl and invest in developed areas minimize the costs of providing new infrastructure, schools, and services. Communities that have preserved rural and wild open spaces keep fresh food from local farmers proximate to urban areas and provide places for recreation. Similarly, urban green spaces provide recreational opportunities and can provide trail networks that serve as a non-motorized transportation option.

Focus of Center Activities

The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) supports Governors and their advisors who wish to learn about and create policies and programs that foster healthy communities. In addition, the Center is part of a national initiative to provide assistance to state and local government leaders on active living. Called Active Living Leadership, the initiative is a unique collaboration funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and involving the various partner organizations listed below under "Related Links." Interested state leaders from health, transportation, land use, economic development, education and environmental disciplines are encouraged to contact the Center for more information.

Healthy communities issues relate to many other state concerns as well. The Center also provides information and technical assistance on issues such as air quality, growth planning, transportation, and obesity.

Related Links:

• Active Living Leadership Initiative
• International City/County Management Association (ICMA)
• Local Government Commission (LGC)
• National Association of Counties (NACo)
• National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)
• US Conference of Mayors (USCM)
• National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund (NALEO)
• Council of State Governments (CSG)
• American Association of School Administrators (AASA)

Other Active Living Online Resources

• Active Living by Design
• Active Living Network
• Active Living Research
• CDC Kids Walk to School
• CDC National Center for Environmental Health
• Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Active Community Environments (ACEs) Initiative
• EPA Office of Children's Health Protection
• League of American Bicyclists
• Michigan Governor's Council on Physical Activity, Health, and Sports
• National Center for Walking and Biking
• National Conference of State Legislatures' Healthy Community Design Web page
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Safe Routes to School Toolkit
• National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
• Office of the Surgeon General - Overweight and Obesity Information
• Safe Routes to School National Partnership
• Washington Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity (WCPPA)

• Aging & Long-term Care
• Air Quality & Greenhouse Gases
• Brownfields
• Chronic Disease Prevention and Management for States
• Community Design

• California - Healthy Transportation Network
• California - Physical Activity and Health Initiative
• California - Safe Routes to School
• California - Walk to School Headquarters
• Delaware - Safe Routes to School
• Florida - Governor's Task Force on the Obesity Epidemic
• Florida- Safe Routes to School
• North Carolina - Eat Smart, Move More
• Oregon - Safe Routes to School
• Texas - Safe Routes to School
• Washington - Safe Routes to School

News and Research

• Vermont: Governor Jim Douglass signs bill banning school bus idling into law. A seventh grade social studies class at Browns River Middle School developed the concept of preventing idling as a way to save fuel.

• California: Governor Schwarzenegger signs AB 2384 creating Healthy Food Purchase pilot program to provide increased access to fruits and vegetables in low-income communities.

• Pennsylvania: The Fresh Food Financing Initiative (a public-private partnership to spur investment in supermarkets in lower-income areas, contributing to neighborhood revitalization and providing increased access to fresh, healthy foods) is recognized by U.S. EPA with a 2006 Smart Growth Award.

• New Study Highlights Top Features of Active Communities: A new study offers insights into the top features of active communities, including mixed-use developments and offering transportation choices.

• ENACT Local Policy Searchable Database allows users to find local government policies related to healthy communities and access to nutritious foods.

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