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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Jody Rosenblatt Naderi, MLA, RLA, Dept. Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Texas A&M University, Center for Health Systems Design, A337 Langford Architecture Center, 3137 TAMU, College Station, TX 77840, 979.458.0103, jrnaderi@archone.tamu.edu and Jun-Hyun Kim, PhD Candidate, Landscape Architecture and urban Planning, College of Architecture, Texas A&M University, Langford Architecture Center, College Station, TX 77843.

Recent research in health care supports the hypothesis that an early walking habit can be encouraged with enhanced pedestrian environments. Additionally, walking is prescribed by the health community. Recent research indicates walking for renewal is primarily implemented in neighborhood streets. What are appropriate design standards for the street which will optimize health outcomes and encourage healing through walking?

Based on pedestrian preference data and clinical simulation trials, develop a replicable method for 1) define a locally defensible “enhanced pedestrian environment” design standard for health outcomes and 2) recommend cost-sensitive capital programming and policy changes.

Participant preference through simulation of pedestrian environments, GIS data, and intercept surveys were used to develop the design and construction cost estimate for streets as alternative health facility. A comparison of existing and enhanced implementation costs and policy changes was completed.

The cost of implementing the enhanced pedestrian environment was less than 2% of typical project costs for reconstruction of the road. The policy change required to support right to walk for health was less than one page of text in planning, public works and capital programming.

The implementation of enhanced walking environment standards can support equitable access to health and renewal. This is particularly significant in America where the right to safely use the road for healing and renewal is often compromised by both public policy and capital programming priorities.

Learning Objectives:

• 1. List the primary types of walking environments that support the right to access streets for healing purposes.
• 2. Identify physical features of the built environment of the street that compromise the right to access spontaneous walking for renewal
• 3. Discuss a methodology that allows communities to leverage local policy and capital programming of streets into places of healing
• 4. Distinguish what a pedestrian design standard is versus an enhanced walking environment.
• 5. Using the local elementary school and busing policy, develop a 3-year plan for identifying and implementing enhanced walking environment priorities through local annual capital works programming and planning policy.

Keywords: Human Rights, Access to Health Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered