Active Living Leadership is a national project supported by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Healthy Community DesignSuccess Stories from State and Local Leaders

“We talk all the time about the things people need to do to have a healthierlifestyle, but when everything in an environment works against a person, itis that much harder to do. That is why the Foundation sees sprawl as aserious issue.”

—Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A.President and CEOThe Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Published by Active Living Leadership, San Diego State University, December 2004.

AcknowledgementsActive Living Leadership would like to thank its partners, staff and local and state leaders for story contributions.

Thank you also to community leaders for providing the photos used in this story book. Additional photos were

obtained from the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (www.pedbikeimages.com). A special thank you to

Dan Burden and the Project for Public Spaces for their efforts to photograph healthy community places. Burness

Communications and Pyramid Communications provided writing, design, and editorial support. This project would

not have been possible without support from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Introduction .......................................................................................................... 2

Active Living – Why do we need it? .......................................................................... 3

Active Living – How can leaders help? ...................................................................... 4

Active Living Leadership – The power of collaboration ............................................... 5

Local Success Stories ............................................................................................ 6Making the Right Connections in Northern California 7From Concept to Action in a Kentucky Suburb 10Strolling Down Main Street – Houston’s Restoration Story 13Trails Connect Citizens to Active Living in Marquette County, Michigan 16

State and Regional Success Stories ........................................................................ 18Active Along Colorado’s Front Range 19Making Progress in Michigan – Administrators Raise the Bar for Active Living 22Taking First Steps in Washington State 24Active Living Through Collaboration – Minnesota’s Metro Greenways Program 26Encouraging Active Living Through Legislation – Maine’s Smart

Growth Legislation 28

Resources – Policy and program ideas for leaders .................................................... 30

Resources – Internet sites ..................................................................................... 32

Active Living Leadership Background and Contact Information .................................... 33

Table of Contents

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With obesity and physical activity the focus ofso much public discussion, it is no surprise thatwe’re hearing the term “active living” moreand more. So what exactly is “active living,”and how do we make sure we get more of it?

Active living is a way of life that integratesphysical activity into daily routines. Forindividuals, the goal is to get a total of at least30 minutes of activity each day by, forexample, walking, bicycling, playing in the park,working in the yard, taking the stairs, or usingrecreation facilities. For communities, the goalis to provide opportunities for people of allages and abilities to engage in routine physicalactivity and to create places and policies thatencourage better physical health.

While much attention has been placed on theindividual view of active living, more and moreinitiatives are under way to help create moreactive, healthy communities. Active LivingLeadership is one such project. It is a uniquepartnership developed to help state and localleaders create and promote places, programsand policies that support and enable activelifestyles. Supported by The Robert WoodJohnson Foundation, Active Living Leadershipbrings together several national organizations

that provide numerous opportunities forcollaboration between appointed and electedofficials, executive and judicial functions, andstate and local levels of government. TheActive Living Leadership partner organizationsinclude: the International City/CountyManagement Association, Local GovernmentCommission, National Association of Counties,National Conference of State Legislatures,National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, and United States Conferenceof Mayors.

This Active Living Leadership report profiles thenotable efforts of elected and appointedgovernment leaders who are supportinghealthy community design across the nation.Some of these efforts stem from a desire tosupport economic development, others todecrease environmental degradation or improveresidents’ quality of life. But all of the policychanges and programming efforts have apositive effect on health because they supportcommunity design that provides moreopportunities for people to engage in routinephysical activity. More importantly, thesestories serve as stellar examples of how vision,leadership and dedication can enable healthycommunity design.

Introduction

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In many communities across the United States,it can be a challenge just to go for a walk. Four-and six-lane roadways are filled with speedingcars and trucks. Traffic lights and crosswalksare few and far between. It’s nearly impossiblefor people to walk to do errands or go out todinner because everyday destinations such asgrocery stores, banks, dry cleaners andrestaurants are clustered in groups, separatedfrom the road by acres of parking lots. In manycases, bike lanes and walking trails are limitedor simply do not exist.

And it’s not just adults who can’t get around onfoot or on bike. It’s estimated that less than 16percent of kids walk or bike to school,compared with about 50 percent just ageneration ago (EPA 2003). There are manyreasons why. Schools often are located on theoutskirts of town, too far away for kids to walk.

Even when the distance is manageable, a lackof sidewalks on the route makes it toodangerous. Fear of crime is another concern.

All of these factors contribute to anunfortunate result: Americans of all ages aregetting less physical activity. At the same time,obesity and related chronic diseases are amajor public health problem, in part because somany Americans are sedentary.

Since 1991, the incidence of obesity andoverweight has increased by 74 percent, anddiabetes prevalence has increased by 61percent (Mokdad et al. 2003). In 2001, theCenters for Disease Control and Preventionestimated direct and indirect costs associatedwith obesity at $117 billion per year nationwide(U.S. DHHS 2001).

Active Living – Why do we need it?

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Environmental Protection Agency. Travel and EnvironmentalImplication of School Sitings, October 2003. Accessed atwww.smartgrowth.umd.edu/pdf/SchoolLocationReport.pdf,see p. 2 of the report (p. 7 of the PDF).

Mokdad, A.H., Ford, E.S., Bowman, B.A., Dietz, W.H.,Vinicor, F., Bales, V.S. and J.S. Marks. Prevalence ofobesity, diabetes, and obesity-related health risk factors,2001. Journal of the American Medical Association 289, no. 1 (2003): 76–79.

United States Department of Health and Human Services.The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent andDecrease Overweight and Obesity. Rockville, MD: DHHS,PHS, Office of the Surgeon General. 2001.

Creating communities that encourage people toengage in healthy lifestyles is not an easy task.At both the state and local level, it requirescollaboration among planners, school boards,community development corporations, housingauthorities, public health professionals, publicworks departments and other agencies. At thelocal level, it also involves input from residents,community organizations, business leaders andreal estate professionals. Government leadershave the unique ability to bring together theright people and encourage collaborationaround active living opportunities.

It’s also the support and vision of local andstate leaders that make the development ofhealthy communities feasible. Leaders makedecisions every day that can create oreliminate opportunities for physical activity.Transportation decisions, for example, oftendetermine whether a sidewalk is built in a newsubdivision or whether an old sidewalk isrepaired. Parks department policies can ensurethe maintenance and safety of open spacesthat lure people outside for physical activity.Finally, leaders have the ability to createsustained funding for active living communitydesign efforts and programs.

Active Living – How can leaders help?

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Change does not automatically flow from a plan or structure; it has to be drivenby people who champion the cause.

MacDougall, Wright, and Atkinson (2002)

Healthy community design is best craftedwhen local, regional, and state elected andappointed officials collaborate. And thatcollaboration is at the heart of Active LivingLeadership. The initiative enables conversationsabout effective active living policies andstrategies across jurisdictions.

The launch of a Kentucky Active Living projectprovides a great example of how Active LivingLeadership supports unique partnerships.Beginning in the fall of 2002, and for monthsthereafter, the International City/CountyManagement Association (ICMA), NationalGovernors Association Center for BestPractices (NGA Center), Kentucky League ofCities and an advisory group worked togetherto introduce active living concepts to Kentucky leaders.

The group’s work commenced with a May 2003statewide Leadership Forum on Active Living.During the Forum, ICMA and the NGA Centerprovided an opportunity to learn aboutstatewide active living efforts and communityprograms. More importantly, the forum broughttogether state legislators, city managers,county judges, administrative departmentheads and mayors to begin to address healthycommunity design issues.

ICMA continues to provide technical assistanceto communities in Kentucky, and many of theoriginal Kentucky Active Living advisorymembers continue to lead efforts. The result?Healthy community design activities areflourishing.

For example, the Kentucky League of Citiescontinues to embrace physical activity andhealthy community design. At their 2004annual convention, they hosted a walking audit,walking tour and presentations on healthycommunity design. In addition, they areconsidering developing curricula focused onwalkable communities to be included in astate-mandated planning and zoningprofessional training program.

The Kentucky Active Living project is atestament to the kind of momentum that canbe generated by collaborative projects that aimto make real change. Many believe that theproject’s activities contributed, at least in part,to the creation of a new initiative called "GetHealthy Kentucky!" that was announced byGovernor Ernie Fletcher in the summer of2004. As part of the initiative, the governorreleased a new report on obesity. Dr. James W.Holsinger, Jr., secretary of the Cabinet forHealth and Family Services, said, “If stoppingthis epidemic were as simple as telling peopleto eat less and exercise more, this problemcould have been fixed long ago.” He added thatit is necessary to address the policies andenvironmental factors that seem to encouragepoor diets and prevent people from being morephysically active.

In the fall of 2004, ICMA and the NGA Centerbegan to survey forum participants to identifyactive living activities that have taken place inthe year since the forum. They expect theresults of this survey to shine a spotlight onthe benefits of collaboration.

Active Living Leadership – The power of collaboration

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At the local level, where land-use andcommunity design decisions are made, localofficials, including mayors, council membersand county supervisors, are ultimatelyresponsible for zoning, ordinance and otherpolicy development that shape communitydesign. Local officials are also responsible forengaging citizens in the design process. Locallyappointed officials, such as city managers andcounty administrative officers, oversee thedaily adherence to codes and ordinances and

can often suggest improvements to existingsystems. All of these officials have the uniqueability to convene department heads,encourage information flow and cross-disciplinary activities, promote importantcommunity issues and support effectiveprogramming to increase active living. Thefollowing stories provide examples of howcommunity leaders and partnerships candevelop active living policies at the local level.

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Local Success Stories

Making the Right Connections inNorthern CaliforniaLincoln, California Population: 24,000

“We had a very willing developer eager to takea creative approach, enthusiastic electedofficials, a supportive community and an urbanplanner experienced in pedestrian-orienteddesign. Everyone was on board. We needed thatcooperation to make it happen.”

—Gerald Johnson, Lincoln City Manager

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Incorporated in 1890, Lincoln is located northeast ofSacramento near the Sierra Foothills in SouthPlacer County. Lincoln was named the fastest-growing city in California, but still retains its small-town atmosphere with broad, tree-lined streets anda downtown plaza.

What happens when a city manager, adeveloper and an urban planner begin workingtogether to integrate physical activity intoeveryday life? For the rapidly growing city ofLincoln, California, it has meant thetransformation of auto-oriented, single-usesubdivisions into walkable, livableneighborhoods.

Joining ForcesThe scene was an Active Living Networksummit in November 2002. The goal was togather together diverse professionals to

examine the relationship between the physicalenvironment and health and to brainstorm whatmight be done to make communities moreactivity-friendly. One attendee was RandallLewis, a developer of large-scale projects inCalifornia, who expressed interest in applyingactive living concepts to upcoming residentialdevelopments. He discussed these ideas withJudy Corbett, executive director of the LocalGovernment Commission (LGC), a nonprofitmembership organization serving localgovernment officials and an Active LivingLeadership partner.

A few months later, with funding from TheRobert Wood Johnson Foundation, LGC beganhosting monthly dinner meetings to bringtogether city and county decision-makers in theseven-county Sacramento region to educatethem about ways to create healthy, walkablecommunities. One of the regular dinner

participants was Gerald Johnson, city managerfrom Lincoln. And the developer for a largeproposed subdivision in the city of Lincolnhappened to be Randall Lewis.

“At one of the dinners, I told Judy that wethought the proposed new development was awonderful opportunity to apply some of theactive living concepts in Lincoln,” said Johnson.“And I lamented the fact that the developerdidn’t seem interested in that approachbecause he was submitting plans for atraditional suburban subdivision. There was thispause, and Judy just looked at me for a fewseconds. Then she said, ‘You folks are notcommunicating. We need to get you together.’”

Seizing the opportunity, Corbett organized ameeting that included Johnson, Lewis, LincolnMayor Primo Santini and Ken Kay, the principalof an urban planning firm specializing inpedestrian-oriented design. Johnson laid outLincoln’s wish list for the new development of2,500 homes. It included specific requests forwalking and biking paths; narrow streets thatslow traffic and make pedestrians feel morecomfortable; easy, direct access to shops and aneighborhood school; and easily accessibleopen space.

“As it turned out, the developer had beenthinking along the same lines,” said Johnson.“Neither of us realized that the other wasgenuinely interested in applying active livingideas to this project. It took Judy and the LocalGovernment Commission to help us realize thatno one involved wanted to wind up with atypical subdivision that practically forces peopleto get in their cars every time they have to dosomething.”

The PlanAs the group went through the list, thedeveloper said he was willing to modify hisinitial proposal to carry out each of the city’srequests. In turn, the urban plannerdemonstrated how the existing plan might bemodified to accomplish each goal. This key

meeting resulted in the creation of a land-useproposal by the developer that incorporatesevery one of the city’s requests—and more.

The plan features homes organized aroundneighborhood parks, with windows overlookingthe public areas. This design allows residentsto easily see the parks, ensuring they will bewell-monitored, safe places for children to play.Each home is directly connected via a street orpath to a centrally located community center,neighborhood store and school. Even studentswho live furthest from the school will have towalk only one mile to get there. Runningthrough the development are wetlands andcreeks with paths and bridges that traversethem. Homes facing open space will havewindows that overlook it, again building in anatural surveillance system to better ensurethe safety of children. To slow auto traffic andprovide ample tree shading, the streets arenarrow, sidewalks are between 6 and 8 feetwide, and streets are lined with either bikelanes or multi-purpose trails.

Community CooperationCommunity design seminars, sponsored byLGC, have been well received by city staff,planning commissioners and city councilmembers. For example, fire officials usuallyresist any suggestion to narrow streets. But atone seminar in Lincoln, the city’s fire chief,who also serves as chief of police, heard howeffective narrow streets are in preventinginjuries and accidents and proclaimed, “Narrow’em down!”

Moving Forward The LGC expects this project to represent aturning point in the effort to create active livingenvironments in one of the most rapidlygrowing areas of the United States. Preliminaryfinancial analyses by the urban planning firmindicate that the Lincoln development will bemore profitable for the developer than atraditional, auto-oriented subdivision. And the

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enthusiasm and overwhelming support fromthe city’s elected and appointed officials meansa faster review and approval process for theproject. Construction is expected to begin soonafter the approval process is completed.

“We had a very willing developer eager to takea creative approach, enthusiastic electedofficials, a supportive community and an urbanplanner experienced in pedestrian-orienteddesign,” said Johnson. “Everyone was onboard. We needed that cooperation to make it happen.”

The plan for new development in Lincoln isalready stimulating action in othercommunities. Planners in Shasta County arelooking to this project as a possible model.Officials in Yuba County, with 11,000 new unitsin the pipeline, have met with their developersto tell them the Lincoln model is what theywould like to see in county subdivisions.Additionally, they are developing a plan toincorporate design guidelines in the generalplan to assure that all new developments inYuba County are walkable.

As for Lincoln, the new project has led to thedevelopment of an active living vision for theentire city. Lincoln plans to grow from a townof 27,000 to a community of 126,000 by 2050.City leaders are crafting a new blueprint forgrowth that rejects sprawling developments infavor of "villages," communities so self-contained that residents will rarely need toventure out in cars.

Under the proposal, each village will have itsown job center, restaurants, shops, parks andschool. Streets will be designed in a grid tooffer multiple routes. There will be separatepathways for bicycles. A committee isupdating the general plan to set aside at least 40% of new land for open space, parksand trails.

“We believe that if enough of these well-planned communities promoting active livinggain market success, then that is the waydevelopers will go,” said Johnson.

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Erlanger, Kentucky, is home to some of the firstsuburban subdivisions in Northern Kentucky. Justafter the Civil War, in 1887, a company called theErlanger Land Syndicate filed its plans to subdividethe area into 220 lots. The Cincinnati-Southernrailroad line from Richwood to Cincinnati ranthrough the city, and workers bought homes in thenew suburb, located about 8 miles southwest ofCincinnati. Erlanger is home to Toyota's NorthAmerican manufacturing headquarters.

How can the chief appointed official of a mid-sized suburban community promote healthierlifestyles and enhance quality of life? For thecity administrator of Erlanger, the answer is amulti-faceted approach combining programs,policies, cooperation among departments andpartnership with the private sector.

Joining ForcesErlanger City Administrator Bill Scheyer hasstruggled with his weight for a long time andknows how difficult it can be to fit daily

physical activity into a busy schedule. Heempathizes with his fellow residents whowrestle with the same challenges. So whenthe International City/County ManagementAssociation (ICMA) first told Scheyer thatKentucky had been selected as a target statefor the first year of the Active LivingLeadership initiative, he leapt at the chance toget involved.

“I knew obesity was becoming such anepidemic and that Kentucky was unfortunatelyright in the forefront,” said Scheyer.“Somebody had to mobilize the community andrespond.”

Indeed, Kentucky had the fourth highestprevalence of obesity among the 50 states andU.S. territories in 2001, according to theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC). Obesity prevalence in Kentuckyincreased from 13% in 1991 to 25% in 2001.

To get things started, ICMA staff met withScheyer, who has been active in ICMA

From Concept to Action in a Kentucky SuburbErlanger, Kentucky Population: 17,000

“The idea is for residents tobe able to live, work and playall in this area without everhaving to get into a car.”

—Bill Scheyer, Erlanger City administrator

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leadership since 1996, and with the trainingdirector of the Kentucky League of Cities (KLC)to brainstorm about how active living ideascould be introduced in the state. Theydeveloped a list of stakeholders and a smalleradvisory committee, composed of 20 topleaders in state and local governments andother relevant institutions. The group soonembarked on a series of meetings, culminatingin a workshop that would introduce active livingconcepts to Kentucky leaders across the state.

The PlanWhile the workshop planning was under way,ICMA worked with Scheyer and other city andcommunity leaders to identify efforts the cityof Erlanger could initiate in support of activeliving. Three projects were identified.

Step Forward. Step Forward is an initiative toexpand and complete the city’s sidewalksystem. It is part of a larger program topromote community walkability and activeliving in Erlanger. A survey identified all of themissing sections needed to complete asidewalk loop throughout the city. Theestimated cost for all needed sidewalk andcrosswalk improvements is $1.75 million. “Ofcourse, the city doesn’t have that kind ofmoney to complete this kind of project all atonce,” said Scheyer. “But now that we have themaster plan, we can start chipping away at it.”

In May, the Erlanger City Council voted tospend $15,000 for sidewalk and crosswalkimprovements on a route near a school.“Without the master plan and the focus onactive living issues, this kind of spendingrequest could have sat for several years withno action,” said Scheyer.

According to Scheyer, another success factor ishaving dedicated staffing provided by theNorthern Kentucky Health Department (NKHD).Julie Sparks, a senior health planner at NKHD,provides much needed oversight andcoordination for the city effort.

Erlanger Center. Erlanger Center is a city-leddevelopment project planned for an underusedparcel of land between highway interchanges.Project plans include a pedestrian-friendlyneighborhood with a compact grouping ofoffice, residential, entertainment and retaildevelopments.

“We are aiming for an urban atmosphere in asuburban area,” said Scheyer. “We want it tobe a true mixed-use development. The idea isfor residents to be able to live, work and playall in this area without ever having to get into a car.”

Doe Run Park. For the Doe Run Park initiative,Erlanger has joined with Drees Homes, anational residential developer, to turn anexisting man-made lake and surrounding openspace into a community and regional asset.Plans call for linking adjacent communities anddevelopments to a new park via trails andgreenways, providing easy opportunities forphysical activity. The project goals are toenhance quality of life, provide newinfrastructure for healthy lifestyles anddemonstrate the private-sector role incontributing to the public good.

Step Forward, Erlanger Center and the DoeRun Park initiatives all have come togetherduring Scheyer’s engagement with the Active

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Living Leadership initiative in Kentucky. Thediscussions about infrastructure, land-use andcommunity design helped him to identifystrategic linkages among these differentprojects. “We could have looked at each one asa separate project,” said Scheyer. “But, in fact,we see the network of sidewalk improvementsas a way to link the two other projects, so thatall three become the framework for acommunity culture in which everyone gets outwalking more.”

Community InvolvementTo help get people out and moving, Scheyerdesignated Kathy Cahill, a CommunityDevelopment Coordinator, as the city’s activeliving contact person. Her first job was toorganize a walking club and link it to the city’swellness program, as well as to city parks andrecreational activities.

The walking club has been featured in anumber of local newspapers, including theCincinnati Enquirer. In the future, Scheyer plansto broaden the idea of a walking club to includea walking-to-school component, at least in thesections of the city where street design anddistance permit.

Scheyer also spearheaded a new walkabilityproject to focus on enhancing communityculture around active living. The project includeslocal partners such as the Area PlanningCommission, Northern Kentucky University, theErlanger/Elsmere School System, the Northern

Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and theErlanger Church Association. Planned activitiesinclude expanding the walking club, schedulingadditional sidewalk improvements andperforming a walkability assessment.

Moving ForwardScheyer has bigger plans ahead. Sinceidentifying walking to school as a priority issue,he has begun working with researchers oncomparing the health of children in the city’stwo school systems. The Erlanger/Elsmeresystem is in the older part of the city, wherestreets are laid out in a grid and studentsroutinely walk to school because of their closeproximity. The Kenton County system drawsstudents from suburban-style communities andrequires a full bus system. The research projectwill track student behavior to document theimpact of the environment on students’transportation behavior. The study is expectedto provide data needed to examine healthycommunity design programming and policies,such as Safe Routes to Schools.

Houston is the fourth most populous city in theUnited States. An estimated 2 million people livewithin its 617-square-mile city limits, while roughly5 million people live in the greater metropolitanarea. Houston is a sprawling metropolis known for adevelopment tradition that is auto-dependent andaverse to public regulation.

After decades of decline, Houston/HarrisCounty’s 8.5-mile Main Street is being restoredto what it once was: the region’s economiccenter and residential “grand avenue.”Capitalizing on a resurgence of public andprivate investment, the mayor and county judgeteamed up with more than 70 stakeholdergroups to form the Main Street Coalition.

Joining ForcesThe decline of Houston’s Main Street can bedated to the early 1950s, when a citywidefreeway system was constructed. In the boomof the 1990s, however, the corridor experienceda resurgence of interest and investment.Private- and public-sector groups undertookefforts to revitalize and redevelop Main Streetand its adjoining areas into community-friendlyeconomic and social centers.

In 1998, these groups came together to formthe Main Street Coalition, a broad-basedpartnership working to develop and implementa unified vision for the corridor. The Coalitionhopes to revitalize and transform the MainStreet Corridor through the strategiccombination of improved land-use and

Strolling Down Main Street –Houston’s Restoration StoryHouston, Texas Population: 2 million

“The Houston Main StreetCoalition project is anoutstanding initiative thatsupports healthy communitydesign and healthy livingfor all citizens.”

—Angelo D. Kyle, National Association of Counties President

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transportation planning, particularly thedevelopment of light rail and strengthenedpedestrian connectivity. It will attempt tostimulate and accelerate development,including inner-city residential housing, newbusinesses and urban beautification. Thecoalition also will coordinate and leveragepublic and private investment.

Making It Work Former Houston Mayor Lee P. Brown and HarrisCounty Judge Robert Eckels supported theformation of the Main Street Coalition. The cityand the county each provided $150,000 instart-up funding for the project and have sinceacted as grantees for federal and state corridorimprovement funds.

The ongoing involvement and leadership oflocal elected officials has been critical todeveloping a unified vision for the 8.5-milecorridor that encompasses Houston’sdowntown, midtown, Museum District, TexasMedical Center and Astrodome Complex.

Because there are no local zoning laws,officials had to take an active role to make surethe project united the growing residentialpopulation with public institutions, the businesscommunity, sports facilities, medical servicesand entertainment and cultural venues. Thisapproach opened up the corridor to residents,who can now conduct a growing number ofdaily activities on foot and bicycle rather thanby car.

The PlanThe underlying principles of the Main StreetCorridor Master Plan reflect the themes ofsustainable design. For instance, the MainStreet Corridor will be “anchored” on bothends: to the north by a regional transit hub andto the south by an “exposition park” composedof parks, natural landscaping and walkways onthe site of the former Astrodome. There arealso smaller mini-parks throughout the corridor

that provide neighborhood-based recreationalopportunities and other accessible communitygathering points.

Light Rail Transit will serve a crucial role inunifying the corridor. Other services will beprovided through a sharp focus on smartdevelopment. High-density development willpromote mixed uses throughout Main Street.Business and living space will be balanced withan emphasis on the public environment,including streets, squares, esplanades andtrees. All of these areas will be complementedby landscaping that humanizes the urbanenvironment, links places together forpedestrians and bikers, increases flood control,and reconnects Houston to its bayous andoutlying regions.

Community CooperationOne of Main Street Corridor’s pilot projects,the Third Ward Connectivity Project,demonstrates how all of these concepts cometogether. The Third Ward, one of Houston’soldest and most populous wards, is apredominantly African-American neighborhoodon the southeastern edge of the Main StreetCorridor.

Through a $2.4 million Federal HighwayAdministration Transportation System andCommunity Preservation grant, as well as morethan $5 million in local capital improvementfunds, the Third Ward Connectivity Projectsupports transit and pedestrian improvements,including improved street furniture, signage,landscaping and public art on streets.

The Third Ward is a significant area of focusbecause, in the past, community-enhancementefforts aimed at improving public health oftenfailed to reach African-Americans and otherminority groups. With both obesity anddiabetes as leading causes of illness and deathin the African-American community, it isessential to develop effective ways to reachthis and other underserved populations throughactive living initiatives.

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Moving Forward Houston’s Main Street Corridor is primed forsuccess. Organizers have pulled together theright community players, concentrated on usingproven design principles, and most important,put people first in their plans. Patricia Rincon-Kallman, assistant director of planning for theCity of Houston, emphasizes that the heart ofthe Main Street Revitalization Project is theintegration of land-use with transportation,emphasizing public spaces and a pedestrian-friendly, attractive environment. This allowscitizens to escape their cars and travel safelyby foot or bicycle, which is particularly criticalfor neighborhoods that are highly transit-dependent.

Efforts are unfolding in two stages. The firstphase involves design and engineering; thesecond, construction. The new design featurespedestrian-friendly streets and enhanced safetymeasures. An extensive public participation andoutreach effort allowed residents to select thedesign to assure that it met their needs. Asattractiveness, connectivity, mobility andincreased safety are coming to the area, so,too, are new opportunities for healthycommunity revitalization. Soon, Main Streetwill be Houston’s street again.

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Marquette County sits along the southern shores ofLake Superior in Michigan’s central Upper Peninsula.A rural area covering 1,841 square miles, it is thelargest county in the state. County residents andvisitors have access to many outdoor recreationalactivities, including fishing, boating, canoeing,hiking, snowmobiling and two-tracking. In June2003, Marquette County was named one of 10 All-America Cities by the National Civic League.

In Marquette County, an old mine shaft beingrestored as a museum may serve as a trailheadfor a potential rail-trail that would connect thecities of Ishpeming and Negaunee. This proposalis just one part of a larger effort by local officialsand community organizers to tap into the county’shistoric and natural assets to develop a regionaltrail network and create active living communities.

The PlanWhen a United States Senator is in town andasks to see the progress of a specific project,“you know that project has made its mark,”Sandy Spoelstra said with a laugh. Spoelstra isCity Commissioner and Community

Development Coordinator for the MarquetteCounty Chamber of Commerce Lake SuperiorCommunity Partnership (LSCP).

In late May 2004, Senator Carl Levin, D-Mich.,while visiting the Upper Peninsula area, requesteda brief tour of part of the planned NaquemanonTrails Network (NTN), a system of interconnect-ing trails spanning Marquette County.

The NTN is the centerpiece of the county’sefforts to use regional cooperation to promoteactive living. The NTN is a proposed 500-mileinterconnected land and water trail system thatwould provide opportunities for non-motorizedtransportation; preserve community character;provide recreation and exercise opportunitiesclose to home; and link communities to culturaland historical features.

NTN planners envision a community with trailsconnecting schools, downtowns andneighborhoods throughout the county,maximizing the region’s natural assets as ameans of promoting economic development,enhanced quality of life and better health. The

Trails Connect Citizens to Active Livingin Marquette County, Michigan Marquette County, Michigan Population: 64,000

“As public officials, I believe we should do everythingwe can to provide people opportunities to be active intheir daily lives.”

—John Korhonen, Ishpeming City Manager

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“Active Living initiatives arevital both for individuals’physical health and for theregion’s economic health.”

—Sandy Spoelstra, Marquette City Commissioner

organizers want to develop a tourism economyin the region, while also enticing youngprofessionals to relocate to the county andencouraging entrepreneurs to establishbusinesses there.

John Korhonen, city manager of Ishpeming inMarquette County, has been an enthusiasticsupporter of these efforts from the beginning.He believes that promoting active living isessential for creating a healthy community.

“The rates of obesity, diabetes and strokes inthis country are just out of control,” saidKorhonen. “Somebody has to do something. Aspublic officials, I believe we should doeverything we can to provide peopleopportunities to be active in their daily lives.”

For Korhonen, personal experience has informedhis views on active living policies. “I had a heartattack 15 years ago. So I know that, as clichédas it might sound, if you don’t have your health,you have nothing. I want to help people in ourcommunity avoid conditions like heart diseaseand diabetes.”

Community CooperationThe Marquette County Chamber of Commercehas played a leading role in the active livinginitiative through LSCP, the regional partnershipfocused on improving quality of life and fosteringeconomic development through regional public-private partnerships. As the community develop-ment coordinator, Spoelstra provides outreach tolocal leaders and works to build regionalcooperation among the county’s municipalities.

Combining her role at LSCP with her experienceworking on active living issues, and with supportfrom a variety of local officials, Spoelstra hasmade significant progress in fostering communitycooperation. The International City/County Manage-ment Association (ICMA) assisted Spoelstra inthese efforts in May 2003, when it funded hertrip to the Designing Healthy Livable Communitiesconference in East Lansing, Michigan.

At the conference, Marquette received aPromoting Active Communities award from the

Michigan Governor’s Council on Physical Fitnessin recognition of the community’s ongoingefforts to promote active living. Spoelstraaccepted the award from Governor JenniferGranholm, participated in the conference andshared healthy community design successstories with other meeting attendees.

Moving ForwardFollowing the conference, Spoelstra helped toincorporate active living issues into the agendafor the annual meeting of the Wellness Councilof the Upper Peninsula in October 2003.

Working together, the Wellness Council andICMA invited Nancy Krupiarz, Michigan statedirector of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, tospeak to local officials and community leadersabout active living issues at the meeting.

Progress in the region has continued in recentmonths. Spoelstra, county officials andcommunity groups have been working on aninnovative, comprehensive corridor accessmanagement plan with the Michigan Departmentof Transportation to promote non-motorizedtransportation along a major highway.

Also, Negaunee Township is considering aproposal that would require all road upgradeprojects to include provisions for improving ordeveloping walking trails. And in April 2004,Marquette County was named one of thenation’s most livable communities by thenational nonprofit association Partners forLivable Communities.

Meanwhile, Spoelstra became so dedicated tothe active living movement that she ran for citycommissioner in Marquette City with activeliving as a major issue of her platform.

“Working on active living issues has reallyinspired me,” said Spoelstra, who ran for publicoffice for the first time. “I’ve learned that ahealthy, physically active, vibrant community canserve as a magnet to attract businesses andprofessionals. Active living initiatives are vitalboth for individuals’ physical health and for theregion’s economic health.”

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As with local officials, state officials have theunique ability to convene department heads,encourage information flow and cross-disciplinary activities across departments,promote important issues and support effectiveprogramming to increase active living. Often itis the people at the top levels of governmentwho are in the best position to championcommunity design visions and foster policydevelopment. Typically, at the state level, thegovernor and staff set the vision fortransportation planning and community

development. Along with the governor, statelegislators are responsible for formulating andestablishing legislation that guidestransportation, housing, financing, educationand health policy decisions. Many active livingpolicies can be driven at the state and regionallevel. Here are a few examples of policy,legislative and partnership efforts at theselevels.

State and Regional Success Stories

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The Colorado Front Range lies on the eastern edgeof the Rocky Mountains. The region, which makesup about 5 percent of the state’s land area, is hometo an estimated 80 percent of Colorado’s population.Cities in the region include Fort Collins, Boulder,Denver and Colorado Springs. The region hasexperienced explosive growth in recent years,adding about 1 million residents in the past decadeor so. Today, there are more people living on theFront Range than were living in the entire state ofColorado in 1990.

A one-day workshop in Denver in early 2003marked the start of something big in Colorado.Organized by the Local Government Commission(LGC) and the Livable Communities SupportCenter (LCSC), the workshop served to launchthe Colorado Front Range Active LivingLeadership Project. The effort is aimed atreaching out to local, regional and stategovernment officials, community organizations

and public health leaders to inform them aboutactive living projects and to help them takesteps to improve their own communities.

The First StepsMore than 135 leaders, including local elected officials, state and local governmentstaff, public health professionals and smartgrowth advocates attended the workshop inJanuary 2003.

The workshop was designed to inform localgovernment and health leaders about theimportant connections among communitydesign, active living and public health. It helpedto put active living issues on the map for localand state government leaders from a widerange of backgrounds, including planning,transportation, land development and publichealth.

Active Along Colorado’s Front RangeColorado Front Range Population: 3.6 million

“The time is at hand, actuallyoverdue, for the integration of healthprofessionals with transportationplanners, urban design folks, publicpolicy formulators and others whoseek improved livability andwellness in our communities.”

—Spense Havlick, Former Boulder City Council Member

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“As a government official I have the unique ability to help residentsbecome healthier through the community’s built environment toencourage people’s physical activity levels.”

—Karen Stuart, Mayor of Broomfield, Colorado

The event garnered enthusiastic reviews fromparticipants and inspired local leaders to takeaction.

Karen Stuart, Mayor of Broomfield, Colorado,started a personal walking program, lost 25pounds and became a leading advocate foractive living initiatives in her home county.With other council members who attended theworkshop, Mayor Stuart introduced active livingconcepts to the Broomfield City Council, whichhas since taken numerous steps to supportactive living strategies.

“There have been 10 to 15 occasions duringCouncil meetings when Council members havementioned what they learned at the workshop,”said Council Member Gary Brosz. “It definitelyaffected our thinking.”

And in a March 2004 letter, John Pickle,Director of Environmental Health at theBroomfield Department of Public Health,informed LCSC that Broomfield officials areupdating the city’s master plan to includeactive living issues. “This revision provides anopportune time to build stronger alliancesbetween the city and county of Broomfielddepartments, ensuring plans and objectives arecreated to promote an active, livablecommunity,” he wrote.

Another leader who was inspired by theJanuary 2003 workshop is Spence Havlick, whowas then a member of the Boulder CityCouncil. After his term expired later that year,he received a grant to travel through Australiafor several months to work with local officialson active living.

In an e-mail to his Colorado colleagues, Havlickwrote, “The time is at hand, actually overdue,for the integration of health professionals withtransportation planners, urban design folks,public policy formulators and others who seekimproved livability and wellness in ourcommunities.”

Building on MomentumTo build on the enthusiasm and momentumgenerated by the January 2003 workshop,Active Living Leadership partners arranged aseries of dinner meetings for local electedofficials and city and county managers from theFront Range. The dinners provided a livelyforum where participants could learn aboutnew approaches to active living and communitydesign. More than 60 local elected officials,city and county managers, and public healthofficials attended these dinners and heardpresentations on topics such as mixed-use andtransit-oriented development, street andsidewalk design, and approaches to reformingland development regulations.

Making ProgressThe interest in active living inspired by theworkshop and dinner meetings has carried overinto other work in communities along the FrontRange. In October 2003, several cities andcounties hosted meetings with Dan Burden,Director of Walkable Communities, Inc., anorganization that helps communities becomemore pedestrian-friendly. Burden discussedactive living design issues with staff,developers and elected officials in thecity/counties of Broomfield and Denver, City ofParker, City of Nederland and fast-growingArapahoe County.

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Moving ForwardThe Colorado Front Range Active LivingLeadership project has involved collaborationamong the LGC, the International City/CountyManagement Association and state partners,such as LCSC, Colorado On the Move and theColorado Office of Smart Growth. In addition, an advisory committee of morethan 20 key Colorado leaders continues to playa major role. This committee developed theprogram for a second workshop held inFebruary 2004, which drew 200 attendees. Thesecond workshop was so well received that itis slated to become an annual event.

The February 2004 meeting led to the creationof the Active Community Environment (ACE)Task Force under the auspices of Colorado’sDepartment of Public Health and Environment(CDPHE). In a letter describing the task force,Rachel Oys of CDPHE wrote, “Recognizing theimportance of the built environment on thehealth and well-being of citizens within acommunity, the ACE Task Force will bring

together professionals from diverse disciplinesand industries to collaborate on new andinnovative ways to retrofit existing communitiesand ensure that new communities are built to standards that encourage healthy lifestylesand preserve the quality of life that Coloradans expect.”

The ACE task force, co-chaired by LCSCExecutive Director Rich McClintock, is chargedwith taking the lead in institutionalizing theActive Living Leadership effort across thestate. The task force is responsible forcoordinating an annual statewide workshop andregional trainings, building partnerships withlocal health departments, administering a mini-grant program for local communities andproviding technical assistance to communitiesthroughout Colorado.

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Michigan has nearly 37 million acres of land and 10million inhabitants. With 10,083 inland lakes and3,288 miles of Great Lakes shoreline, dozens ofdownhill ski resorts and four national parks,Michigan certainly has a bounty of natural resources.However, according to the Michigan Land-UseLeadership Council, land is being developed eighttimes faster than the population is growing. Over thepast decade, residents have been fleeing the citiesfor the countryside, and some would say the qualityof life for Michigan residents is in jeopardy.

Active living is cool. Of course, anyone workingon active living issues knows this. But thegovernor of Michigan has made it official.

Governor Jennifer Granholm saw anopportunity to improve both quality of life andthe economy, and to respond to citizenfeedback that walkable communities are thenumber one characteristic of a cool city.

Through the governor’s “Cool Cities” initiative,the state is highlighting walkability as a keyattribute that makes a city hip and vibrant. Theprogram is providing small grants to a dozen ofMichigan’s downtown business districts andneighborhoods to expand parks, improvesidewalks, rebuild streets, add lighting,establish farmers’ markets and preservehistoric structures. Communities that receivethe grants could later become eligible forsubstantial state and federal funding for bigprojects, such as adding miles of newlandscaped sidewalks and streets or expandinga mass transit system.

In addition, the National Governors AssociationCenter for Best Practices (NGA Center), theInternational City/County ManagementAssociation (ICMA) and the NationalConference of State Legislatures (NCSL) haveteamed up with the Michigan Governor’s Council

Making Progress in Michigan – StateAdministrators Raise the Bar for Active LivingState of Michigan Population: 9,938,444

“I understand the intricate weave of chronic disease,land-use policy, transportation choice, and attitude in oursociety, and the need to address these threads acrossdisciplines to see appreciable results.”

—Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm

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on Physical Fitness, Health and Sports, whichhas long recognized the influence communitydesign can have on residents’ physical activitylevels. In May 2003, the NGA Center and ICMAcollaborated with the Council and the Departmentof Community Health on a statewide conference,Designing Healthy, Livable Communities, to drawattention to the connections between health andcommunity design.

The evening before the conference, the NGACenter and ICMA sponsored an invitation-onlydinner for state and local leaders. More than 50government leaders, including the statesurgeon general, head of the state Departmentof Community Health, four state legislators, amayor and several city planners, attended thedinner. Local and state leaders spent theevening discussing healthy community designissues, such as mixed-use development andpedestrian-oriented transportation options, andhow they affect their respective communities.

At the conference the following day, GovernorGranholm presented awards to 16 Michigancommunities for their efforts to encouragephysical activity through community design.Since the conference, the governor has continuedto support active living issues. She has competedwith other pedometer-wearing lawmakers tosee who could rack up the highest number ofsteps over a 16-week period. The governor andher staff beat the legislative team.

The conference also featured the release of astudy that found physical inactivity amongMichigan’s 7.6 million adults cost almost $9billion in 2002. More than 60 news publicationsaround the state published articles about thestudy’s findings.

Since the conference, both the NGA Center andICMA have continued to provide technicalassistance to communities and state leaders in Michigan.

A Healthy Communities Network, formed bythe organizations that helped to plan the 2003conference, went on to hold a secondconference in the fall of 2004. The Network ischaired by Janet Olszewski, Director of theDepartment of Community Health, and DavidHollister, Director of the Department of Laborand Economic Growth. This collaborationbetween public health and economicdevelopment officials will provide opportunitiesfor the Network to inform state-levelcommunity design, community developmentand health strategies.

Governor Granholm also has provided hersupport for the Network. In a letter sent to theCouncil, the Governor stated:

As Vice-Chair of the NGA Health and HumanServices Committee, I understand theintricate weave of chronic disease, land-usepolicy, transportation choice and attitude inour society, and the need to address thesethreads across disciplines to see appreciableresults. … Michigan’s Land-Use LeadershipCouncil has also recognized the link betweenwalkable communities and healthy lifestyles.And the NGA-supported Designing Healthy,Livable Communities Conference – convenedin May 2003 – is a fantastic example ofpulling land-use, transportation and healthissues together.

And in May 2004, Michigan Surgeon GeneralKimberlydawn Wisdom, M.D., launched a newplan called “Prescription for a HealthierMichigan.” As part of the initiative, Dr. Wisdomplans to debut a program aimed at helpingindividuals adopt more active, healthy lifestyles.

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Washington state’s largest city, Seattle, is animportant port and gateway to East Asia and theArctic North. The state’s diverse geography,recreational havens and economic opportunity makeit a popular place to live, work and play.Washington is home to 281 cities and towns, but themajority of population growth since 2000 remainsconcentrated in the western portion of the state,with the largest four-year gains being in King,Pierce, Snohomish and Clark counties.

The National Governors Association Center forBest Practices (NGA Center) is providingsupport to state leaders interested in activeliving strategies in Washington state, where ithas partnered with the Washington Coalitionfor Promoting Physical Activity (WCPPA), agroup of public- and private-sectorprofessionals working in partnership topromote regular physical activity. Together, the

NGA Center and WCPPA created a vision foreducating state leaders, identifying thoseprepared to take action, and assisting them asthey develop policies, programs and projectsthat foster active living. With input from theLocal Government Commission and theNational Conference of State Legislatures, theyheld a briefing on active living in April 2004.

While specific Active Living Leadershipactivities in Washington are just beginning, theWCPPA is making great strides in connectingtransportation, health and planning issueswithin the state. Exciting developmentsincluded participation at the April 2004 meetingby Mary Selecky, Secretary of the WashingtonState Department of Health (WSDOH), andDennis Madsen, C.E.O. of REI, a Washington-based outdoor recreation company. At themeeting, participants discussed three priority

"You can choose to be physically active tohelp improve your own health. And it is alsoimportant that the communities we live insupport those healthy choices by providingsafe places that encourage physical activity."

—Washington State Secretary of Health Mary Selecky

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Taking First Steps in Washington StateState of Washington Population: 5,894,121

issues that WCPPA is now recommending.They are: 1) pedestrian- and bicycle-orientedtransportation facilities and services, 2) activeliving land-use planning and development, and 3) communication efforts that promoteactive living.

In addition, with the help of NGA Center,WSDOH and WCPPA commissioned a studyevaluating the cost of physical inactivity inWashington state. The study found thatphysical inactivity cost the state more than $5billion in 2002. Direct costs were estimated tobe $118 million in cardiovascular diseases,

$44.6 million in mental health due todepression and anxiety, $17.3 million inmuscular and bone injuries, $9 million indiabetes and other metabolic disorders, $7.4million from cancer, and $1.3 million fromcarpal tunnel syndrome and other nervoussystem problems.

WSDOH and WCPPA continue their activeliving work in partnership with organizationsand agencies around the state to develop waysto make physical activity easier and eliminatethe barriers that prevent people from makinghealthy choices.

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Minnesota’s 66 state parks preserve some of themost beautiful scenery in the "land of lakes." Theyare popular destinations for hiking, camping, biking,swimming, fishing, birding, picnicking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Policies andprograms enacted in Minnesota’s Twin Citiesstrongly support preservation of the region’s naturalassets while fostering economic development. Forinstance, preservation programs recently protected1,400 acres of land. At the same time, Minneapolis-St. Paul ranked sixth nationwide in the number ofnew and expanded corporate facilities.

In many cities, an empty tract of land less thana mile from downtown would not stayundeveloped for long. Even if the tract were acontaminated “brownfields” site, it likely wouldbe snapped up by developers following acleanup. But thanks to Minnesota’s MetroGreenways Program, which incorporates activeliving principles, that’s not what happened inSt. Paul. Instead, the city and the Trust forPublic Land joined together to restore a

brownfields site adjacent to a rail track in thefloodplain of the Mississippi River and todevelop links to a number of regional trails.

The Minnesota Legislature created the MetroGreenways Program in 1998. It is a collaborative,public-private partnership that encompassesseven counties in the Minneapolis-St. Paul areaand is administered by the state Department ofNatural Resources (DNR). Its goal is to developa regional network of parks, open spaces, andwalking and biking trails that link togethernatural areas. The program provides funds forstate land acquisition and grants to localgovernments. The local governments mustconduct natural resources inventories anddemonstrate collaboration with nonprofit landconservation organizations and privatelandowners as conditions for receipt of thesecompetitive grants.

Active Living Through Collaboration –Minnesota’s Metro Greenways ProgramState of Minnesota Population: 4,919,479

“Metro Greenways has been able to pull togethercoalitions on projects and generate local andprivate revenue that exceeded expectations.”

—State Representative Dennis Ozment

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“State funding is essential toleverage resources from localgovernments and nonprofits.”

—Former State Senator Jane Krentz

Metro Greenways has allocated $7 million tofund 18 land conservation projects since itsinception, protecting 1,400 acres. In addition, ithas provided more than $750,000 in matchinggrants for local governments to conduct theirown natural resources inventories. Thisapproach represents an increasingly importantopportunity to leverage state aid, because localgovernments are able to raise additional fundsfrom other sources to preserve more openspace. In fiscal year 2004, the state legislatureappropriated $1.5 million for the program, 75percent of which will be used to purchase landor the development rights to land. The balancewill be used to clean up and restore lands foruse in achieving the program’s landconservation and recreational objectives.

State Representative Dennis Ozment, theRepublican Chair of the House Environmentand Natural Resources Finance Committee,points to DNR’s ability to leverage money as akey reason for the program’s success.

“Metro Greenways has been able to pulltogether coalitions on projects and generatelocal and private revenue that exceededexpectations,” said Ozment.

Jane Krentz, a former Democratic state senatorwho chaired the Senate Environment andNatural Resources Committee, agrees. “Statefunding is essential to leverage resources fromlocal governments and nonprofits like theMinnesota Land Trust,” said Krentz. “There willnever be enough money from the state tooutright purchase all the land we should besetting aside, so tools like purchasingdevelopment rights are an importantcomponent of the program.”

The program’s success, however, may havecreated competition with statewide open spaceefforts.

“My colleagues in both chambers now want toexpand the program beyond seven counties,”said Ozment. “And funding those efforts willrequire the commitment of citizens in eachcounty to raise enough money to match fewerstate dollars.” Ozment, for one, is optimisticbased on recent local successes at the polls.

The National Conference of State Legislaturessponsored a series of site visits to MetroGreenways projects in September 2002 forlegislators and staff in neighboring states. Thevisits confirmed the program’s success inpiecing together strategically important blocksof open space to promote walking, biking andother forms of physical activity.

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Maine’s ruggedly beautiful coast has made the statea popular summer destination and a haven forartists. But Maine is much more. The state has 16counties and nearly 500 municipalities. A richsupply of natural resources has influenced thecourse of its development.

Municipal government in Maine enjoys aspecial authority called “home rule.” Thisauthority is given to the towns and cities ofMaine in the state’s constitution. Under “homerule,” municipalities may govern themselves inany way that is not denied them by state orfederal law.

The Maine Legislature passed a law in 2000 toencourage smart growth planning at the locallevel. It aims to limit the state’s growth-relatedcapital investments to designated growth areascontained in a local government comprehensiveplan. As a result of the new law, state

agencies, when awarding certain grants, arenow required to give preference tomunicipalities that have adoptedcomprehensive plans consistent with smartgrowth objectives.

The law also created the Municipal InvestmentTrust Fund to provide loans to municipalitiesundertaking comprehensive downtownrevitalization efforts. By redesigningdowntowns to include more commercial andrecreational opportunities, communities couldentice more residents to live, work andsocialize in walkable neighborhoods.

The early results of the smart growth law arepromising. Beth Della Valle in the StatePlanning Office characterizes the growth-related capital investment strategy as incredibly successful.

Encouraging Active Living Through Legislation –Maine’s Smart Growth LegislationState of Maine Population: 1,274,923

“A $500,000 grant can help a mill town on a riveradvance its vision for the community, and makingthe community more walkable is a large part of it.”—Maine State Senator Sharon Treat

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“We’re not telling municipalities where theydevelop, but letting them know that they willhave to shoulder more of the capital costs ifthey choose to do so outside of designatedgrowth areas,” says Della Valle.

The goal is to maintain the viability of urbancenters, or as in much of Maine, villagecenters. State Senator Sharon Treat, thecurrent majority leader and a key sponsor ofthe legislation, emphasizes the importance ofthe Municipal Investment Trust Fund in helpingsmaller communities to revitalize falteringdowntowns.

“A $500,000 grant can help a mill town on ariver advance its vision for the community,”Treat explains. “And making the communitymore walkable is a large part of it.”

Overall, the smart growth law incorporatesmixed-use development concepts, includingurban infill and redevelopment, multi-modaltransportation and transit-orienteddevelopment. Urban infill and redevelopmentpolicies can encourage downtown revitalizationby offering financial incentives to localgovernments in designated areas, and todevelopers to design mixed-use projects indesignated areas. Multi-modal transportationmakes use of several types of transportationoptions to reach an endpoint, including publictransit, walking and biking. If schools, officesand retail outlets are located close to oneanother, there is greater likelihood that multi-modal transportation planning will succeed.Transit-oriented development is a part of multi-modal transportation. It incorporates more busand rail options into a local government’stransportation mix and gives residents moreopportunities to combine walking and bikingwith those options to get to schools, jobs andshopping centers.

The impacts of these integrated smart growthapproaches on physical activity are not directand immediate, because encouraging walkingand biking is not necessarily their primaryobjective. However, these approaches mayresult in long-term public health benefits,because in redesigning existing communities orconstructing new ones, the infrastructure andfacilities necessary to sustain walking andbiking opportunities can be developed.

The National Conference of State Legislaturesprovided technical assistance to the MaineLegislature through testimony at committeehearings and will continue to monitor thelegislation’s progress in achieving both smartgrowth and public health benefits.

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Our real-world leadership stories give greatexamples of how active living can be woveninto the process of governmental planning.Below is a sample of additional policy andprogram ideas you may want to consider foryour own community, neighborhood or state.

Foster Collaboration and InformationSharingGovernment officials can make decisions that promote active living by bringing different departments together. Officials also can use the bully pulpit to introducewalkable communities into public dialogue.

• Provide forums for private, nonprofit andgovernment professionals fromtransportation, health, education,recreation, economic development andother relevant fields to discuss activeliving strategies.

• Create formal committees to discuss andcoordinate active living strategies. Includeall departments that play a role in activeliving, such as health, transportation,education, economic development,planning, safety, conservation,environmental protection, and parks andrecreation.

• Appoint an active living coordinator onyour staff.

Support Safe, Pedestrian-OrientedTransportation Decisions about transportation resources play amajor role in the way communities aredesigned. By supporting improved connectionsbetween destinations and providing transitoptions, leaders can help ensure a balancedtransportation system that makes it possiblefor residents to walk or ride a bicycle to thestore, school or work.

• Support a Complete-the-Street policy thatrequires that streets be designed withpedestrians and cyclists in mind.

• Incorporate biking and walking strategiesinto your comprehensive plan. Use toolssuch as walkability audits to identifypedestrian infrastructure gaps.

• Keep pedestrian routes free from crimeand traffic injury.

• Clean up vacant properties and keepsidewalks and bikeways clear of debris andsnow.

Resources – Policy and program ideas for leaders

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Support Land-Use Planning andDevelopment that Enable Active LivingThe way communities are designed and builtinfluences residents’ ability to engage inroutine physical activity.

• Incorporate active living issues into land-use review and planning processes.Ensure new development plans includepedestrian- and bicycle-friendly elements.

• Support code reform. Use incentives,zoning and development strategies tostimulate development of mixed-useprojects. Increase density, reduce parkingrequirements, and create more openspaces and parks.

Encourage Healthy School Sites, Facilitiesand PoliciesLocation plays a large part in whether or notchildren can walk or bike to school. Schoolcurricula can educate children about the healthbenefits of active living and enable dailyopportunities for physical activity.

• Hold forums for school officials. Connectactive living and health concerns withschool issues. Discuss items such asschool location, community services andmandatory physical education.

• Support policies that enable new schoolsto be located in walkable neighborhoodsinstead of on expansive and isolatedgreenfields. Lower the acreagerequirements and establish a rehab-firstpolicy.

• Support walk-to-school and safe-routes-to-school programs.

Support Recreation Facilities, Parks and TrailsNeighborhood parks that are within walking andbiking distance of a person’s home or work canpromote greater physical activity. Trails that linkhomes, work, commercial centers, publictransit, and community facilities provide safeand attractive thoroughfares for pedestrians.

• Develop a cohesive system of parks and trails.

• Maintain and create new neighborhoodparks and pocket parks so that allresidents have a park within one mile oftheir home.

Identify and Create Funding Sources State and local officials can leverage, secureand dedicate funding for active living initiatives.

• Use incentive systems that supportpedestrian-oriented community design andtransportation.

• Leverage existing funding streams foractive living initiatives from:

– Federal, state, regional and local sources, such as transportation enhancement, congestion mitigation and air-quality programs.

– Tobacco/alcohol tax revenue. In Michigan, for example, 6 percent of the tobacco tax creates their Healthy Michigan Fund.

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These Web pages will lead you to a variety of resources detailing research, best practices andtools that support healthy places, programs and policies.

Active Living by Designwww.activelivingbydesign.org

Active Living Leadershipwww.activelivingleadership.org

Active Living Networkwww.activeliving.org

Active Living Researchwww.activelivingresearch.org

Active Living Resource Centerwww.activelivingresources.org

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Healthy Places Site www.cdc.gov/healthyplaces

International City/County Management Association www1.icma.org/main/topic.asp?tpid=31&hsid=1

Local Government Commission www.lgc.org

National Association of County and City Health Officialswww.naccho.org/project84.cfm

National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activitywww.ncppa.org

National Conference of State Legislatureswww.ncsl.org/programs/health/rwj.htm

National Governors Association Center for Best Practiceswww.nga.org/center/topics/1,1188,D_6893,00.html

Resources – Internet sites

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To learn more about Active Living Leadership,contact the national project office:

Active Living Leadership San Diego State University3900 Fifth Avenue, Suite 310San Diego, CA 92103619.260.6336info@activelivingleadership.org

The national project office provides coordination,leadership, strategic direction and overallmanagement of the Active Living Leadershipinitiative. The office also serves as a linkbetween active living policy research and activeliving implementation efforts; directs specialprojects and national communication activities;and works with other national partnerscommitted to active living issues.

Active Living Leadership Partners

International City/County Management Association(ICMA) ICMA promotes excellence in local governmentthrough professional management. As aLeadership partner, ICMA works with localgovernments and with its own membership of8,000 chief appointed officials to facilitate thedevelopment of policies and programs thatfoster healthy, livable communities.

Local Government Commission (LGC) LGC is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membershiporganization of elected officials, city and countystaff, and community leaders. LGC staff providesinspiration, technical assistance and informationon creating livable, walkable communities. As aLeadership partner, LGC works with localelected officials and key staff on issues relatedto active living and community design.

National Governors Association Center for BestPractices (NGA Center) The NGA Center helps governors and their keypolicy staff develop and implement innovativesolutions to governance and policy challenges.As a Leadership partner, the NGA Centerprovides assistance to governors and their staffrelated to active living, public health, quality oflife and economic development.

National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) NCSL is a bipartisan organization serving thelegislators and legislative staff of the states,commonwealths and territories. Its mission is toimprove the quality and effectiveness of statelegislatures, foster interstate communication andprovide the states a strong, cohesive voice inthe federal system.

National Association of Counties (NACo) NACo is a membership organization servingmore than 2,000 counties and representing over80 percent of the nation's population. With itsheadquarters on Capitol Hill, NACo is a full-service organization that provides an extensiveline of services, including legislative, research,technical, and public affairs assistance, as wellas enterprise services to its members. Theassociation acts as a liaison with other levels ofgovernment, works to improve publicunderstanding of counties, serves as a nationalrepresentative for counties and provides themwith resources to help them find innovativemethods to meet the challenges they face.

U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM)USCM is the official nonpartisan organization ofthe nation's 1183 U.S. cities with populations of30,000 or more. Each city is represented in theConference by its chief elected official: themayor. The primary roles of USCM are to:promote the development of effective nationalurban/suburban policy; strengthen federal-cityrelationships; ensure that federal policy meetsurban needs; provide mayors with leadershipand management tools; and create a forum inwhich mayors can share ideas and information.

Active Living Leadership Backgroundand Contact Information

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Active Living Leadership is a national project supported by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and administeredby San Diego State University. RWJF has awarded nearly $5 million in grants through the program since 2002. Active

Living Leadership focused its initial efforts in five states: California, Colorado, Kentucky, Michigan and Washington. In 2004,the initiative added a focus on several of the Mid-Atlantic States and broadened its overall support to leaders nationwide.

In 2005, Active Living Leadership will include a specific focus on healthy community design to reduce youth obesity.

Active Living Leadership San Diego State University

3900 Fifth Avenue, Suite 310San Diego, CA 92103

619.260.6336info@activelivingleadership.orgwww.activelivingleadership.org