Sussex County
Built Environment
Benefits of Trails & Pathways
For Delawareans….
~ Creates communities where we enjoy being active
~ Get connected to nature
~ Offers family-oriented experiences
~ Promotes healthy lifestyles
~ Connect us to parks, businesses
~ Connect us to schools, work
For tourism …
~ Encourages fuller travel experiences
~ Promotes return visits
~ Good for business
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Nationally Trail Use Rising
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Junction & Breakwater Trail
User Survey - 2011
~  State Parks & DE Greenways - trail economic impacts
~  39% year round residents
~  61% seasonal residents or visitors
~  Based on responses – trail use generates $209k in hard
good and $409k in soft good purchases
~  Supports local businesses
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Support Healthy Families
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1st State Trails & Pathways Initiative
" Create transportation alternatives
" Increase recreational opportunities
" Promote active living, healthy lifestyles
" Boost economy
" Create jobs
CREATE A HEALTHY AND SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT
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Ensure that exercise/physical activity and healthy eating
programs and services are high-quality, culturally appropriate,
accessible, available and affordable.
Improve the physical environment, including public
transportation, throughout Delaware to improve opportunities
for safe physical activity.
Make nutritious foods affordable and available to all
Delawareans.
Establish and ensure adherence to food and beverage standards
in places where Delawareans spend their time.
Work with food industry, including food processors,
distributors, growers and retailers in the state and region to
improve the nutritional quality of commercially available foods
and beverages.
CREATE A HEALTHY AND SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT
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  Ensure children in schools have access to affordable and
healthy foods and beverages.
  Ensure children have access to physical activity
opportunities in schools.
  Ensure children receive quality health education,
nutrition education and physical education in schools.
  Ensure children in child care have access to healthy
foods and beverages and opportunities for physical
activity.
  Ensure children receive quality health education,
nutrition education and physical education in child care.
CREATE A HEALTH ENVIRONMENT – FIRST STEPS
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  Develop a barrier-free statewide trail system
  Fully implement Complete Streets policy statewide
  Develop incentives for communities to include
health promotion in comprehensive plans
  Develop a Healthy Communities Award to recognize
communities taking action to improve health
THE POWER OF RELATIONSHIPS
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If you reached out to 2 people and convinced them to
be a change agent with you…how many equal
encounters would need to happen before 1 million
people were champions of change?
Place Matters
  Place determines……
•  Health Behavior
•  Quality of Life
•  Overall Health Status
•  Economic Vitality
•  Intellectual Capital
•  Sustainability
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FINANCIAL SENSE
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An investment of $10 per person
per year to increase physical activity and other
community health promotion programs could save the
U.S. more than $16 billion annually within 5 years.
This is a return of $5.60 for every
$1 invested.
If You Build It Will They Come?
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The more facilities that were
available and destinations
that were close by, the more
people walked.
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People who live within
walking distance of trails,
parks or stores walked more
frequently.
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The power of doing this is
leveraged by the proximity
of assets. The more assets in
a “walkable” space the more
people are drawn to it.
King, W., Am. J. of Public Health 2003
ACTIVITY-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES MAKES
GOOD COMMON $ENSE
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  Accumulating evidence
indicates that open space is
not an expense but an
investment that produces
important economic
benefits.
  Open space protection is
good for the community's
health, stability, beauty,
quality of life, and economic
benefit.
  Every $1 investment in parks
and trails for physical
activity led to $2.94 in direct
medical benefit.
WALKABLE, BIKEABLE
SEAFORD
PRESENTED BY
REPRESENTATIVE DAN SHORT
JOHN HOLLIS
RON BREEDING
WALKABLE, BIKEABLE SEAFORD
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 How do you create a healthy walk and bike
designation place in an existing area that
has been the unofficial site?
 What are the opportunities?
WALKABLE, BIKEABLE SEAFORD
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 What are the difficulties?
 What is the key to success?