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Frequently Asked Questions What is the relationship between healthy community design and safe
community design? What is the relationship between healthy community design and safe community design? Healthy community design and safe community design go hand in hand. A livable community is not possible without both. Who makes up the urban design and public health professions? Urban design professionals include those in urban planning, architecture and landscape architecture. Public health professionals include those in health care, state and county health, health education, community advocacy and medicine. What is healthy community design? Healthy community design is centered on physical activity, one of the major components in leading a healthy life. Healthy community design encourages residents to be physically active by incorporating amenities that foster a myriad of choices, from a leisurely walk to a nearby park to an intensive spinning class at the neighborhood community center. Healthy community design features wide, shaded sidewalks that are well separated from the curb and busy traffic; neighborhood parks outfitted with play areas, ramadas and seating; and connectivity within a neighborhood so residents can walk or bike between home, schools, parks and retail. What is safe community design? Safe community design addresses the features of healthy community design, in the context of the built environment. The focus is fostering activity, both physical and social, on the street. Instead of a sea of closed garage doors, homes feature front porches. Streets are well lit. Speed humps and bumps slow down traffic. Landscaping is well maintained to deter criminal activity. What is the link between public health and urban design? Both professions share the mission of fostering livable communities. In the past, there was a disconnection between public health and urban design. Although there was a common mission, professionals from both areas were not working together. There was no understanding that what public health professionals did could affect urban designers and vice versa. In the last five years, public health professionals have increasingly recognized that people are becoming less active and that urban designers are not universally providing support for physical activity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been at the forefront in recognizing the interconnectivity between public health and urban design through the National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH). The NCEH “plans, directs, and coordinates a national program to maintain and improve the health of the American people by promoting a healthy environment and by preventing premature death and avoidable illness and disability caused by non-infectious, non-occupational environmental and related factors.” For more information on the NCEH, go to http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/information/about.htm <top> This partnership of professionals in the areas of public health, urban design and education is focused on how the design of the physical environment has impacted community health; how a partnership of planners, public health professionals, educators and community groups has come together to respond to this critical health issue in Arizona; and the role that public health professionals and urban designers can play in reshaping development to help create healthy communities. Got a question? For an answer and possible inclusion on this Web site, email us at: projectforlivablecommunities@cox.net. |
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© 2007 Project for Livable Communities • Healthy, Safe, Sustainable Design
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