“The built environment presents both opportunities for and barriers to participation in physical activity, thereby influencing whether or not we exercise. Research by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has indicated that two of the main reasons for not exercising are lack of structures or facilities (such as sidewalks and parks) and fears about safety.” (R. Jackson, et al. (2001). Healthy Environment: The Impact of the Built Environment on Public Health, CDC.)
Walking can only be useful as a tool to promote healthier lifestyles if it is easily accessible and safe. When people have access to facilities designed for physical activity, the level of inactivity decreases. It is possible for every municipality in the state to create a plan which offers its citizens safe and walkable passages toward a healthier lifestyle.
Community planning, especially land use planning, provides a host of opportunities to improve the pedestrian environment. While many people walk in their residential neighborhoods, the greatest level of pedestrian activity occurs where there exists an interesting mix of activities. Recent research has shown that where density is high and land uses are mixed, community members are the most likely to be physically active. In turn, where land uses are separated and distances are large, residents are less likely to walk or bike in the normal course of their day.
While this kind of land use is considered the hallmark of “traditional” towns, it does not happen in the current development climate without careful planning. As such, when new development or redevelopment occurs, thought should be given to how your community could benefit from mixed use development as well as by incorporating other uses into existing residential or commercial neighborhoods.
Consideration should be made to your community’s pedestrian and cycling networks, the connections that allow walkers and cyclists to move easily from place to place within the community. These networks need to be carefully devised, implemented and maintained in order to provide the necessary facilities for people to walk and bike. Communities gain when they put their needs for walkability and bikability into well thought out plans.
The benefits to communities that develop with walkability in mind, a key smart growth principle, are numerous:
Encouraging Physical Activity through Planning
source: North Carolina Division of Public Health (2003). Winning with ACEs! How You Can Work Toward Active Community Environments. Raleigh, N.
