Designing Active

Communities
Connecting Community Design,
Public Appeal & Public Health

South Fortuna Elementary

Walkability Assessment
May 30, 2007
Humboldt Partnership for Active Living
- HumPAL -
Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living
The Humboldt Partnership for
Active Living

HumPAL is a diverse group of professionals

and citizens working together toward
integrating physical activity into daily life.
Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living
HumPAL
Partners
Public Health &
Medical
Community Transport,
Community Planning
& Development
Steering Committee Professionals
Outreach & Education
Committee
Research Committee Community
Organizations
Policy Committee
& Individuals

www.nrsrcaa.org/humpal
Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living
What is ‘Active Living’?
• A way of life: integrating physical
activity into daily routines.

Active transportation:
walking, bicycling, and other
forms of non-motorized
transportation are healthy modes
of movement that are encouraged
by an inviting physical
environment.
Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living
What Happens If We Aren’t Active?
• Overweight: Type II
diabetes, heart disease,
other associated diseases
• Mental Disorders:
depression, anxiety,
. developmental problems,
substance abuse
• Environment: air quality,
climate, roadway conflicts
‘Remember when we used to have to
• Cost: High costs of care, fatten the kids up first?’
particularly including for
aging populations Humboldt County ranks 53rd worst of 58
CA counties for the incidence of diabetes.
- Disease in the 21st Century
Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living
Obesity: A National Epidemic
(*BMI ≥30, or about 30 lbs overweight for 5’4” person)
1990
1995

2005

No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% 20%–24% 25%–29% ≥30%

Source: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, CDC

Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living
Prevalence (%) of Overweight Among
Children & Adolescents
16 The average 11
14 year old boy in
2000 was 11
12
pounds heavier
10 than in 1973
8
6-11 years
6 12-19 years
4
2
0
1963-70 1971-74 1976-80 1988-94 1999-
2000

In Humboldt County 37% of youths are overweight or

at risk of overweight - compared to 15% nationwide
Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living
Benefits of Physical Activity
• Increases life span by 2 years

• Contributes to weight control

• Reduces risk of cardiovascular disease by 40%

• Prevents/manages high blood pressure, diabetes

• Improves mood and mental health

• Decreases risk of breast and colon cancers

• Health care costs for active adults are $300-$400

less per year
- Surgeon General’s Report, 1996

Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living

How Much Physical Activity?
• Minimum:
– 1/2 hour per day for adults
– 1 hour per day for youth

Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living

 Active Communities In Demand
Walking and jogging trails are the most desired community
amenities for active and older adults – second, third and
fourth most desired amenities are outdoor spaces, public
transportation and open spaces, respectively.
- 2000 National Homebuilders Association survey: Wylde, 2001.

In a national survey:
• One third of respondents said
community designs that reduce
the need to drive are the
answer to traffic problems.
• 63% of respondents would
like to walk more to stores and
other 'errands'.
- Americans' Attitudes Toward Walking &
Creating Better Walking Communities, 2003.
Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living
What is a ‘Walkable’ Community?
A community designed for people to human scale, emphasizing
people over cars, promoting safe, secure, balanced, mixed, vibrant,
successful, healthful, enjoyable and comfortable walking, bicycling and
human association. - Dan Burden, Walkable Communities

Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living

What Encourages Active Living?

• Secure & Safe - Low speeds, safe

neighborhoods, many eyes on the street
and public places

• Welcoming - Places of the heart,

packed with pride, joy and passion

• Efficient Access - Sidewalks, curb

ramps, curb extensions, crosswalks,
passageways and frequent transit

• Convenience - Compact and mixed

use: parks, schools, shops, transit links,
commercial services

• Comfortable - Shade, benches,

green, great buildings and public spaces

- Dan Burden www.walkable.org Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living
What Discourages People from Walking?
• Distance: too great to walk
• Time: perceived lack of time
• Facilities: poor sidewalks, crosswalks
• Traffic: conflicts; lack of good places to walk
• Laziness
- Americans' Attitudes Toward Walking & Creating Better Walking
Communities, 2003.

If people don’t want to walk, no one will

stop them. - Project for Public Spaces
Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living
Ped- &
Bike-Auto
Collisions
Odds of
pedestrian
death
• 20 mph = 5%
• 30 mph = 45%
• 40 mph = 85%

Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living

How to Promote Active Living in Fortuna?

Today’s Focus:
• Education • Infrastructure &
• Enforcement Community Design

• Events & Activities

• Cooperative Relationships
Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living
 Education
Active Living is Easy
Help people find easy ways to be
active for short periods
Part of the daily routine
Education courses

Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living

Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living
Enforcement
Speeding laws

School zones

Bicycle laws

Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living

 Activities &
Events
Walk To School
Events
Fun, organized and safe
efforts to get youngsters
walking to school
October is Walk/Bike to
School Month

Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living

 Activities &
Events
Walkability
Assessments
Process that brings
community together.
Results that help
inform community
members and
decisionmakers.

Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living

 Cooperative
Relationships
Find proactive,
attainable ways to solve
challenges

Break down ‘silos’…

encourage cross-
disciplinary
collaboration

HumPAL Partner
Meeting Photo

Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living

 Facilities,
Infrastructure &
Community
Design
Planning Framework
Ensure community and
transportation plans reflect
priority non-motorized transport
needs

Help community and private

projects address those needs

Regional Bike & Ped Plans:

www.hcaog.net

Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living

 Facilities &
Infrastructure
Human Streetscape
Improvements to and connections
between walking, bicycling and
transit facilities
Traffic calming efforts
Public spaces
Inviting streetscapes

Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living

Facilities & Infrastructure

When you see people walking

in the street: there’s an unmet need

Sidewalk design needs to be

inviting,
Designing Active Communities: accommodating
Humboldt Partnership for Active Living
 Facilities &
Infrastructure

Gaps to fill
Good intentions,
poor design
Peds, bikes often
minimally considered:
we get what we plan for

Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living

 Facilities & Infrastructure

Shortened crosswalks, refuges

‘Traffic calming’
helps humans feel
more equal in the
transport landscape

Speed humps and

raised crosswalks
Traffic circles,
roundabouts

Resource: www.pedbikeimages.org
Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living
Facilities & Infrastructure

Pavement
pigmentation

Alluring,
welcoming
sidewalks

Regional trails

Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living

County Ped & Bike Plans
• Fortuna projects currently prioritized
– Newburg Road: ped/bike improvements
– Newburg & Rohnerville Roads: ped intersection
improvements
– 12th Street: K St. to Loni, ped/bike improvements
– Riverwalk Drive & Kenmar Road: ped intersection
improvements; bike improvements
– Main Street, Fortuna Blvd., Ross Hill Road, School
Street, South Third/Redwood Way: bike
improvements
• View documents online: www.hcaog.net

Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living

‘Social Marketing’
Creative, less expensive ways to manage ‘motorist’ and ‘resident’ personas

Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living

Community Design

Compact,
human-scale land use

Neighborhood Commercial:
Corner Markets
Non-Motorized Transport:
Regional Trail Systems Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living
‘Regrettable Places
Built with
Great Precision’

And some unintended consequences

Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living

Community Design That…
Encourages walking Encourages driving

Fisher & Hall Urban Design, Inc. Fisher & Hall Urban Design, Inc.

Has lots of places to walk, easily, within a mile

Traditional Street Grid Cul-De-Sac Layout

From Cascadia Scorecard: Seven Key Trends Shaping The Northwest Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living
 Single-
Family

Multi-Family

Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living

Safe Routes to School

Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living

Safe Routes to Schools (SR2S)

• Promoting non-motorized trips to and from

school
– By feet, bike, skateboard & scooter

• SR2S programs help

– Children who already bike & walk and
– Enable more children to safely bike and walk,
whatever the barriers

• Ultimately: create places and a culture for all to safely

walk & bike
Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living
SR2S Elements
The Three “E”s

Education
Engineering
Enforcement

Additional “E”s for

comprehensive SR2S
programs:
Encouragement
Environment
Equity
Enrichment Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living
Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living
Assessment
Route
• 45 minutes
• Discuss key
issues
• Return and
assess priorities

Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living

School Site Walkability Assessment
• Student Drop-Off Area/s
• Bus Loading Zones
• Sidewalks & Bicycle Lanes
• Adjacent Intersections
• Sight Distance
• Traffic Signs, Speed Control,
Signals & Pavement
Markings

Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living

HumPAL Transport,
Public Health &
Partners Medical
Community
Planning &
Community
Development
Professionals

Community
Organizations
& Individuals

Become a member!
Call 269-2054 or email humpal@nrsrcaa.org
www.nrsrcaa.org/humpal

Designing Active Communities: Humboldt Partnership for Active Living