Design for people

How we design our cities has an immense impact on community health. The built environment in recent decades has contributed to inactive, car dependent lifestyles and therefore results in increases in diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes, which contributes to premature death. Denser development, such as that modeled using principles of New Urbabism, is a crucial strategy in combating greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles, the health risks associated with climate change and preventing other diseases related to inactivity such as heart disease and diabetes.

King County is working to promote vibrant neighborhoods that support healthy lifestyles, here is what you can do to reduce sprawl. One of the best ways to get people to drive less is to build an area that caters to the needs of pedestrians places with a mix of uses, where people can walk, bike, or take transit from their homes to offices, schools, restaurants, and shopping.

What you can do SUPPORT DENSITY Density allows for more open space, forest preservation, economic development and access to healthy transportation options. KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS Neighbors that know one another generally experience a greater sense of community and feel safer. Good ways to meet your neighbors include spending time outside, organize events or just saying hello. SUPPORT PARKS, TRAILS AND PLACES FOR BIKERS & WALKERS Funding is essential for providing amenities that keep walkers and bikers safe and allow places for people to be physically and socially active.

	Form-based code King County's Department of Development and Environmental Services is conducting a project to examine the feasibility of replacing the current conventional land use code with a Form-Based Code. Using a prescriptive ("what is wanted") approach to regulating development, the new code will focus on the public space while encouraging important public policy objectives such as health.
	Asthma Public Health - Seattle & King County cares about asthma because asthma affects many children and adults in King County. In King County, asthma is the second most common reason for children to be admitted to the hospital. Every year in the United States, asthma is the cause of 100 million days of limited activity.
	Lead Though lead is found frequently in our environment, it has no known purpose in our bodies. When lead gets inside the body, the body confuses it with calcium and other essential nutrients. This confusion can cause permanent damage to the health of both children and adults.
	Injury and violence prevention Injuries are very common. Most of us will suffer a serious injury at least once in our lives. Often, people say "accident" when they talk about injuries. In fact, we can predict and prevent most injuries.
	High Point and Greenbridge public housing The Partners for Fitness and Healthy Living project will serve as a model for other public housing developments. The project lasts five years and expands work already underway in High Point and begins new activities in Greenbridge. Thanks to a new competitive $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health awarded to partners in King County.
	Walking maps in King County Walking is an excellent way to be physically active, and physical activity helps you feel better, enjoy a better quality of life and prevent disease. We encourage you to use these maps to take advantage of the beautiful neighborhoods, paths and trails in King County. These maps are provided by Public Health - Seattle & King County in cooperation with local communities throughout the county.
	Health Impact Assessments A Health Impact Assessment involves a combination of procedures, methods and tools used to evaluate a policy, program or project as to its potential effects on the health of a population, and how these effects will affect different members of a population. HIA can help identify and consider the potential – or actual – health and equity impacts of a proposal on a given population.

• Ways Community Design Can Contribute to Health, Interview With Howard Frumkin
  Dr. Frumkin discusses ways design of the built environment affects our health, how the built environment affects residents of rural areas, and ways public health professionals can have input into land use decisions.
  
  
• Portland's Smart Growth Approach May Offer Health Benefits, Jon Duckart
  Sprawl leads to a number of poor health indicators. Portland's efforts to control sprawl have had a number of health benefits.
  
  
• Fat Neighborhoods: Spatial Epidemiology Meets Urban Form, Anne Vernez Moudon and Adam Drewnowski
  Where you live makes a difference in the quality and cost of the food available to you, and that in turn helps determine the level of obesity and physical activity.
  
  
• Making Healthy Choices, Easy Choices: Linking Health and Environment, Ruth Abad
  The author discusses two pilot projects in Washington State to improve people's health by increasing biking and walking trails. Resources

• Transportation Choices Coalition
  Transportation is much more than just getting from point A to point B. It's the network that ties together our workplaces, our homes, our schools - linking communities and providing mobility to people and goods throughout the state.
  
  
• Puget Sound Regional Council
  The Puget Sound Regional Council works with local government, business, and citizens to build a common vision for the region's future, expressed through three connected major activities: VISION 2040, the region's growth strategy, Destination 2030, the region's comprehensive long-range transportation plan; and Prosperity Partnership, which develops and advances the region's economic strategy.
  
  
• Seattle Pedestrian Master Plan
  New research illustrates the health benefits of regular walking, biking, or taking public transportation to work, school, or shopping. So why not save yourself a few dollars on gas and improve your health at the same time?
  
  
• Healthy Communities Project, Washington State Department of Health
  Describes two projects funded by the Washington State Department of Health. These projects intend to get people walking by developing a network of linked paths that will be used for exercise, recreation, transportation, and tourism to promote healthier lifestyles for this community. In addition, community gardens will encourage healthier leisure, will help people get better food, and will encourage the consumption of more fruits and vegetables. Other food and exercise activities are linked from the left-hand navigation bar. These are worth exploring for additional information.
  
  
• Washington State Nutrition and Physical Activity Plan: Policy and Environmental Approaches
  The Washington State Nutrition and Physical Activity Plan was launched in June 2003 "to promote environmental and policy changes that encourage healthy eating and physical activity." The Executive Summary and the State Plan are linked from this page. The purpose of the plan "is to provide a framework in which policy makers can work together to build and support environments that make it easier for Washington residents to choose healthy foods and be physically active.

• Designing and Building Healthy Places, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  As we embark into the 21st century, the interaction between people and their environments, natural as well as human-made, continues to emerge as a major issue concerning public health.
  
  
• Healthy Development Measurement Tool, Urban Health and Place Team, San Francisco Department of Public Health
  More and more, inter-disciplinary research associates the "built environment" (i.e., land use, transportation systems and community design) with health outcomes and well-being at the population level. For example, healthful neighborhood conditions require adequate and good quality housing; access to public transit, schools, and parks; safe routes for pedestrians and bicyclists; meaningful and productive employment; unpolluted air, soil, and water; and, cooperation, trust, and civic participation.
  
  
• U.S. Green Building Council, LEED
  Find information on how built environment has a profound impact on our natural environment, economy, health, and productivity.
  
  
• Smart Growth
  
  
• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
  Find a number of tools and resources to calculate greenhouse gas emissions, strategies at home and work, strategies for transportation, and information on the science of climate change.
  
  
• Transportation for America
  Transportation for America has formed a broad coalition of housing, environmental, public health, urban planning, transportation, equitable development, and other organizations. We're all seeking to align our national, state, and local transportation policies with an array of issues like economic opportunity, climate change, energy security, health, housing and community development.a
  
  
• Walk Score