Building Healthy Communities
By Elizabeth Rhoades
Imagine two images: In the first, imposing, windowless facades of tall buildings and a concrete parking lot face an empty sidewalk bordered by a large street. In the second, open windows gaze onto a tree-lined walkway and bike lane; the trees shelter the sidewalk from traffic, and benches and flowerboxes dot the streetscape. Though both images are of the very same buildings and the very same sidewalk, the difference is dramatic. An ominous cityscape transforms into an inviting place to stroll or stop for a neighborly chat.
The conscious and subconscious effects of the environment that we have built for ourselves are far-reaching, affecting not just our ability to behave healthfully but also our desire to do so. People may want to walk, but will they walk in an unpleasant, isolated, unsafe place? Not likely.
This issue and others surrounding the built environment were the focus of the Built Environment and Public Health Workshop: Building Healthy Communities Together in Los Angeles County, which was hosted by the PLACE Program (Policies for Livable, Active Communities and Environments), the Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health Program, and other programs in the Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention Division. Open to public health staff, city planners, transportation engineers, public works staff and non-profits, the workshop emphasized the intersection between public health and city planning, featuring speakers from both fields.
Los Angeles County’s Director of Public Health Dr. Jonathan Fielding welcomed the 200 attendees; keynote speeches were delivered from Dr. Richard Jackson of the UC Berkeley School of Public Health; Gail Goldberg, Director of City Planning for the City of Los Angeles; and Paul Zykofsky, Director of Land Use and Transportation Programs for the Local Government Commission.
The speakers challenged how we think about our built environment—the streets, open space, and public transportation infrastructure that makes up our communities. Topics ranged from critical issues such as Gail Goldberg’s declaration that we must stop designing cities for cars to seemingly small details such as stairway locations. (As Richard Jackson pointed out, why make stairways dark and dank place when we could place them where natural lighting would make them both inviting and energy-conscious?)
Over the last ten years, the average weight of Los Angeles County adults has steadily increased, and has been accompanied by rising rates of obesity and diabetes. Engaging in regular physical activity is one of the most effective ways to prevent overweight, diabetes, cardiovascular disease colon cancer, osteoporosis, and depression.
As Richard Jackson highlighted, it is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the built environment’s effects on public health. As the obesity epidemic reaches even our children, the built environment has become a key opportunity to promote health by making daily physical activity the easy choice. Research has demonstrated that the greatest public health gains can be made by assisting sedentary people in becoming even a little bit active. For instance, we can encourage normally inactive people to walk more often by making sidewalks more pedestrian-friendly and increasing street connectivity, as Paul Zykofsky illustrated.
On a larger scale, pedestrian- and bike-friendly communities will not only facilitate healthy activities such as walking, cycling, and socializing, but also support retail and public transit. Think of attractive main streets, where apartment balconies overlook small storefronts, attractive vegetation, and busy shoppers—in short, communities that are eye-catching, sociable, functional, and in high demand.
But designing better communities requires cross-departmental teamwork. Towards this end, the workshop featured small group discussions where participants networked with various other professionals in their geographic area. This mix of professional backgrounds led to a stimulating exchange of ideas and viewpoints. Participants had the unique opportunity to present current projects and receive input from others, and to plan for future collaboration with their new potential partners. One exciting development is that 90% of participants reported that the discussions “helped them develop professional relationships that could be mutually beneficial.”
To further promote professional collaboration on built environment projects, the PLACE Program announced an upcoming county-sponsored funding opportunity that will allow five grantees to create partnerships to implement built environment policy changes and improvements to the physical environment. An official Request for Proposals is planned for release in August 2007. By both encouraging new partnerships and then funding them, PLACE hopes to support the development of healthy communities in Los Angeles County.
Download Workshop Resources!
Built Environment and Public Health Workshop Agenda (PDF)
Built Environment and Public Health Workshop Flyer (PDF)
