223096 Complete streets increase physical activity: Best practices for adopting effective state and local policies

Monday, November 8, 2010 : 10:48 AM - 11:06 AM

Barbara McCann , National Complete Streets Coalition, Washington, DC
Built environments predominantly designed for motor vehicle use reduce physical activity levels. However, those with complete streets policies get more people to be more active, more often and increase safely for all. Traveling along and across public rights-of-way has become more difficult and more dangerous for everyone, and, in some locations, impossible for those not traveling in a motor vehicle. Further, the built environment impacts key segments of the population disproportionately. About one-third of all Americans do not drive a motor vehicle. They include older adults, children, people living with disabilities or taking certain medications, and people with limited economic resources. Despite 28% of all trips in metropolitan areas being a mile or less—within easy walking, bicycling or transit distance—72% of these short trips are made by motor vehicle. Complete streets policies increase physical activity by routinely balancing and providing for the needs of all users, of all ages and abilities within a corridor. They also expand performance measures to include key health, safety, mode shift and other indicators of how well the transportation network serves all users. For instance, in Orlando, FL, one complete street conversion resulted in a 23% increase in walking, a 30% increase in bicycling, and a 34% decrease in crashes of all types. From its review of over 130 policies and best practices surveys, the National Complete Streets Coalition staff will describe successful strategies for changing state and local policies to create complete streets to increase physical activity and safety.

Learning Areas:
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Other professions or practice related to public health
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
1. List at least five ways the built environment discourages physical activity and disproportionately impacts older adults, children, people living with disabilities or people from low economic resource families. 2. Identify how implementing complete streets policies have resulted in more people getting more physical activity more often. 3. Describe successful strategies for changing policy to create complete streets networks, and increase physical activity and safety.

Keywords: Physical Activity, Policy/Policy Development

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Barbara McCann, Executive Director of the National Complete Streets Coalition, coined the term ‘complete streets,’ organized the Coalition, and has worked with numerous communities on policy formation and adoption. She is author of the forthcoming Complete Streets Best Practices Manual being issued by the American Planning Association. She also maintains an independent consulting practice, using her expertise in transportation and land use to write books, articles, reports and policy analysis for clients ranging from the National Association of Realtors to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. As Director of the Quality of Life Campaign at the Surface Transportation Policy Project she authored a series of high-profile reports, including the first documentation of the relationship between sprawl and obesity and the Mean Streets series.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.