Partnerships in Creating
Active Communities
Public Health: Karen Petersmarck
Environmental Organization: Brian Fellows
Rails to Trails: Nancy Krupiarz
Our Goals for You Today:
You will leave here with
– Ideas for “unlikely partners” to help you
create active communities.
– Understanding of “what’s in it for them.”
– Knowledge of three entry points into “the
establishment.”
Public Health
MISSION:
MDCH strives for a
healthier Michigan. To
that end, the
department will:
– Take steps to prevent
disease, promote
wellness and improve
quality of life.
Local Public Health
• Every county belongs
•
to a local health
department.
Local public health
has the same mission.
What’s In It For Us?
• It’s our job to make it
•
•
easier for people to
be healthy!
We are mandated to
work on “active
communities.”
We didn’t learn how
to do it in school!
Increasing Physical Activity:
Education is
good, but it
won’t get
people moving
if exercise is
inconvenient
or dangerous.
Public Health:
Entry Point #1
OBESITY
How’s this related
to urban planning
OBESITY
Sprawl
VS.
?
Smart Growth
“Those living in sprawling counties were likely to walk less,
weigh more, and have greater prevalence of hypertension than
those living in compact communities”
-Reid Ewing et al. American Journal of Health Promotion
“There is a connection between the fact that the urban sprawl we
live with daily makes no room for sidewalks or bike paths and the
fact that we are an overweight, heart disease-ridden society”
-Richard Jackson, MD, MPH. Planning and Zoning News
OBESITY
Can Be Affected By
Planning Decisions
Access to
Healthy
Food
Utilitarian
Activity
Physical
Activity
Recreation
Activity
Obesity
Nutritious
Diet
OBESITY
Planning for Utilitarian
Physical Activity
Create Transportation Choices
•Walking
•Biking
•Transit
To encourage physical
activity as part of daily
routines, urban areas
should be designed to
allow for alternatives to
automobile use.
OBESITY
Planning for Utilitarian
Physical Activity
Walking
•Sidewalks
•Crosswalks
•Bulb outs
Tools to make walking a safe and
dignified transportation option
Planning for Utilitarian
Physical Activity
OBESITY
Bicycling
•Designated bike lanes
•Commuter trails
•More bicycle parking
OBESITY
Planning for Utilitarian
Physical Activity
Transit
Public transportation supplements active transportation
because people need to walk to and from transit stops
• More comprehensive
and reliable service
OBESITY
Planning for
Recreational Exercise
Destinations & Linkages
In order for active recreation to
be enjoyable, people need safe
places to run, walk, bike, play
ball, etc and these places should
be interconnected.
East Riverfront Plan
•Parks
•Trails
•Greenways
•River access
Hart Plaza
OBESITY
Planning for
Recreational Exercise
Trails
55% trail users report increased
activity levels resulting from the
existence of a trail in their area
Even the previously inactive find
trails attractive and use them
Obesity prevention
A “syn-solution”
 Depression
 CO2
emissions
 Air
pollution
Physical activity
And by the way…
 Infrastructure costs
 Social capital
How Can You Become an
Advisor for Obesity?
State Level:
– Health Department:
• Find obesity or physical activity.
• Help develop the State Plan.
• Include in the State Plan programs you can contribute.
– Dept. Education:
• Find Physical Education
• Safe routes to school
• Connecting trails to schools
• Bike safety programs
How Can You Become an
Advisor for Obesity?
Local Level
– Local Health Department:
• Find coalitions or advisory groups:
– Non-motorized transportation
– “Healthy Washtenaw”
• Help with assessments
• Help create plans
– School District:
• Safe routes to school
• Bike safety
Public Health:
Entry Point #2
INJURY CONTROL
Dekalb Neighbor, July 4, 2001
How You Can Become an
Advisor for Injury Prevention
1. Get data on biking and
walking injuries and
deaths in your state or
area.
–
–
–
Amazingly, this may be
hard to find!
Some states collect this
with surveillance of
hospital emergency
departments.
Try National Center for
Walking and Bicycling
How You Can Become an
Advisor for Injury Prevention
2. Find the person in charge of injury at the
state health department.
3. Ask about existing programs for bike and
ped injuries.
4. Ask about a state plan for injury control.
5. Offer to help.
Public Health:
Entry Point #3
HEALTHY AGING
“Senior-Friendly Communities”
• By 2030, 20% of us will be
•
•
•
•
•
age 65+.
State governments are
scared about health care
costs.
Prevention is finally seen
as important.
Making it easy to be
physically active is critical.
You can help.
Senior volunteers can help
you.
How You Can Become an
Advisor for “Healthier Aging”
1. Data:
–
–
Lack of physical activity
Disproportionate pedestrian
deaths and injuries among
elderly
2. Find the State Unit on
3.
4.
5.
Aging.
Ask about existing
programs for physical
activity, injury prevention,
older drivers.
Ask to see state plan.
See where you could fit.
Public Health Entry Points
Multiple State Plans
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Cardiovascular Disease
Injuries
Obesity
Osteoporosis
Cancer prevention
Arthritis
Diabetes
Physical Activity
Most decisions are
made by those
who…
show up!
Moving from “Outsider” to “Insider”
Tactics Review:
• Identify their priorities
• Pursue win-win projects
• “Carry the water” for their project or
priority
• Say “yes” to work groups
- Lucinda Means
League of Michigan Bicyclists
How A Non-Profit Organization
Can Drive Bike/Ped Policy
(And Partnerships)
River Action, Inc.
Davenport, Iowa
An Introduction To
The Quad Cities
•
•
•
•
180 miles due west of Chicago
•
Farm economy, former hub for
agricultural equipment manufacture
•
Illinois QCs – 60+ miles of riverfront
trail
•
Iowa QCs – 7 miles of riverfront
trail, additional 10 miles inland
•
•
•
American Discovery Trail
5-city area ~ 350,000 population
Iowa – Bettendorf, Davenport
Illinois – Rock Island, Moline, East
Moline
Mississippi River Trail
2006 National Trails Symposium,
Davenport, Iowa
Photo: Ken Larvenz
River Action - Background
• Mission: To advocate for public
access to - and the overall
health of - the Mississippi River
• Founded in 1983 as “Lights,
River, Action” in order to raise
approx. $300,000 for installing
lights on the Centennial Bridge
• Board of Directors – represents
many segments of society and
political preference including
medicine, education, business,
industry, utilities, nursing, and
retired individuals
Photo: Brian Fellows
River Action’s Territory and
Working Relationships
• Local governments in 12
•
•
•
communities
2 states (IA, IL)
2 counties (Scott, Rock)
50 miles of shore
Davenport, IA Moline, IL
Bettendorf, IA Cordova, IL
Buffalo, IA Hampton, IL
East Moline, IL
Princeton, IA Rapids City, IL
LeClaire, IA Port Byron, IL
Rock Island, IL
River Action – Focus Areas
- Stormwater runoff
reduction, native plants,
thoughtful urban
riverfront development,
design guidelines
- River conservation,
environmental education
- Riverfront development,
public access, walkability,
multi-use trails, activities
to draw people back to
the river
Photo: Brian Fellows
River Action’s Bike/Ped Projects
•
•
•
•
•
Ride The River bike ride
Public art
Senior Golf Cart Tour
Walk To The River
Mississippi River
Connections Walking
Guide
Drawing: The Lakota Group
River Action’s Bike/Ped Projects
• 20th Street Overlook
• Great River Trail (IL)
• Mississippi River Trail
•
•
(IA)
Channel Cat water taxi
River Vision riverfront
planning process
Photo: Brian Fellows
Volunteer Network
-
Interested citizens
Neighborhood assocs.
Civic groups
Retirees
Environmental orgs
Corporate
School/PTAs
‘Boot camps’
Photo: Brian Fellows
Local Government’s (MPO) Role
• Coordinate commun-
•
•
•
ication between
members
Nurture partnerships
Grantwriting
assistance
Identify multijurisdictional opportunities
Some Unlikely Partnerships
• Nahant Marsh
(farmers, landowners)
• Pervious parking lot
(Army Corps of Engineers)
• Sylvan Island
(Hispanic neighborhood assoc.)
• Lindsay Park
(Demolition contractor)
Photo: Brian Fellows
Some Unlikely Partnerships
• American
Discovery Trail
(Army Corps, casino boats)
• Mississippi River
Connections
Walking Guide
(Trinity Regional Health
System; McDonald’s
restaurants – don’t say
“eeeuu!”)
Photo: Brian Fellows
Some Unlikely Partnerships
• Arsenal Island
RiverWay art
– Native Americans
involved; Black Hawk
relative blessed the
site
– Public involved in site
selection and artist
designs
Photo: Brian Fellows
Some Unlikely Partnerships
• Credit Island
RiverWay art
–
–
–
–
–
Goal: create new node
Former residents
Felled trees hauled
Chainsaw-sculpted
High school students
taught pointillism
– Sondheim musical
during dedication
Photo: Brian Fellows
Keys To Success – The Four M’s
Phase 1: Building the foundation
•
•
•
•
Manpower (partnerships)
Money (cash AND in-kind)
Municipalities (buy-in)
Media (exposure)
Keys To Success – The Four I’s
Phase 2: Day-to-day operations
•
•
•
•
Inclusion (public)
Involvement (partners)
Ingenuity (synergy)
Immediacy (deadlines)
River Action, Inc.
Unlikely Partnerships
in Creating
Bikeable/Walkable
Communities
PRO BIKE PRO WALK
September, 2004
Michigan
Field Office
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC)
• RTC is a national organization with 6 Field Offices (MI, CA,
FL, PA, OH and New England
• Purpose: to enrich America's communities and countryside
by creating a nationwide network of public trails from
former rail lines and connecting corridors.
• 13,000 miles in US; Michigan: 2nd in nation, 1,329 miles
• We provide technical assistance on trail building, educate
the public and promote trail building policy at all levels of
government
On the state level, trails have
played a part in:
Cool Cities
Initiative
Safe Routes to
School
MI Steps Up
Michigan
Cardiovascular
Health Task
Force
Transportation
Summit
TRAILS
Land Use
Transportation
Health
MI Land Use
Leadership
Council
Healthy
Communities
Network
Designing
Healthy Livable
Communities
Conference
The Key is . . .
• Show you deserve a place at the Table through
•
•
--relationship building
--initiate action to help
Show up and contribute (whether it’s directly
related to your topic or not --general expertise
and leadership is helpful too)
Keep in contact and look for your entry
Partnership Building at the Local Level:
Build a Green Infrastructure Vision
Non-Motorized Advocates can Build
Relationships with:
• Historic Preservation
Groups
• Watershed Councils
•
•
•
•
Economic Development
Developers
Land Conservancies
Agriculture Community
•
•
•
•
•
•
Academic community
General Public
Political Leaders
Community Planners
Transportation Planners
Tourism Officials
Green Infrastructure
is an interconnected green space network that
provides the ecological framework for
environmental, social and economic sustainability
Green Infrastructure Planning
Involves:
• Identifying the
Stakeholders
• Creating a Forum for
Leadership
• Seek Public Review &
Comment
• Gather Information
• Establish a vision and a
mission
Meridian Township Greenspace Plan
• Land preservation millage
of 2001
• Dilemma – which parcels
to purchase and/or where
to focus development?
• Pathway millage since
1994 - widened sidewalks
w/ many unsafe
intersections. Few on-road
connections
• Greenspace plan provided
a consolidated vision of
how to accomplish both
objectives.
32 square
miles
40,000
people
How it was done (in brief)
WHAT TO
PRESERVE
& WHY
INDIVIDUAL
MAPS
PUBLIC
INPUT
BIKING &
WALKING
LINKS
ANALYSIS
ECOLOGICAL
VALUABLE
AREAS
IMPORTANT
LINKS & HUBS
ACROSS
DEVELOPABLE
LAND
How it was done (in brief)
DENSITY
EXERCISE
GIS
LAYERED
MAPS
MORE
PUBLIC
INPUT
LINKAGE
EXERCISE
MAPPED
ECOLOGICAL
VALUABLE
AREAS
IMPORTANT
LINKS & HUBS
ACROSS
DEVELOPABLE
LAND
Result
Greenspace map and implementation plan
A Map and Inventory of:
• Priority conservation
corridors
• Scenic road corridors
• Parks & open space
• Public & school property
• Fragile Links
• Restoration opportunities
• Foot Trails
• Multi-use Trails
• On-road Facilities
And Recommendations
• New policies and
ordinances to implement
the plan
An example of Conservation Zoning
Saginaw Bay Greenways
• W.I.N. (Watershed
•
•
Initiative Network) to
improve water quality
Trails are a subset
Green Infrastructure
planning:
--thorough
investigation of the
project area
--public involvement
W.I.N. Greenways Mission
“The Saginaw Bay Watershed will have a
Greenway Network that connects our
communities to the area’s natural and
cultural amenities for the recreation,
transportation, education, and health
benefits of its citizens.”
For more info:
www.saginawbaygreenways.org
For more information
• For Meridian Twp. Plan:
The Greenways Collaborative, Inc.
www.greenwaycollab.com
• Green Infrastructure planning in general
Conservation Fund
1800 North Kent St.
Arlington, VA 22209
http://www.greeninfrastructure.net
www.railtrails.org
www.trailsandgreenways.org