Incorporation of the Healthy Communities Element into the County of Riverside General Plan Update: An innovative partnership between Public Health and Planning

California currently spends in excess of $10 billion annually in medical costs associated with obesity and physical inactivity. In Riverside County, 61.4% of adults and 15.6% of teens classified as overweight/obese. Riverside County is ranked 52nd for its physical environment conducive to health. In a county with significant urban sprawl, fast-paced development of unincorporated areas has created areas not conducive to healthy living.

The Healthy Communities Element (HCE) demonstrates the logical link between health and the built environment. It provides a planning and land use framework through which positive changes for health can be made. As part of the County's General Plan Update, it guides development in unincorporated areas of Riverside County. Through an innovative partnership between Planning, Public Health and other community partners appropriate policy language was drafted and technical data collected.

Planning and designing neighborhoods with health in mind will maximize the potential for positive outcomes per dollar invested. This will facilitate reductions in overall obesity rates among our residents by making healthy eating and active living the default option. Evidence has shown that people who live in walkable communities weigh, on average, 6 pounds less than those living in areas not conducive to healthy living. Thus the county and its residents will realize millions in dollars saved from reduced obesity-related health care expenditures. The Riverside County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved incorporation of the Healthy Communities Element in 2011. Riverside County is one of the first counties in California to pass such a sweeping healthy development framework.