268786 Health benefits of the Atlanta BeltLine project on poor underserved neighborhoods: Case study of NPU-V neighborhoods

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Madhubanti Ganguly, MA; MPlan; MPH(ongoing) , Institute of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA
John Steward, MPH , Institute of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA
It is often acknowledged that a well designed built environment can promote healthy communities and prevent onset of several chronic diseases. The Atlanta BeltLine Project, consisting of multi-use trails, transit, housing, green space and economic development, uses a 22 mile existing, underutilized freight railway corridor around Downtown Atlanta, influencing about 45 neighborhoods. It has the potential to act as a catalyst for development of healthy communities in several Atlanta neighborhoods, some of which are poverty stricken, underserved, majority African-American with documented health disparities. These neighborhoods suffer from environmental inequality and striking health disparity. In 2007, a Health Impact Assessment of the Atlanta BeltLine was published. Over the next twenty years, the BeltLine is expected to improve walkability, encourage physical activity, and improve connectivity by linking parks, trails and transit to existing neighborhoods. From an environmental justice perspective, it is important to consider how the BeltLine will be developed to promote healthy living conditions for all of the neighborhoods. The poster will present an ongoing study on how the BeltLine addresses health disparities. The research will assess a neighborhood in south Atlanta with documented health disparities, including the community's needs and potential improvements regarding the built environment. The parameters to be considered include promoting active living, encouraging physical activity, increasing social capital and eliminating abandoned, vacant, and unsafe buildings and properties. The study will incorporate a comparative analysis of health disparities using GIS. The study also uses photo-voice approach to describe the current health concerns of neighborhood residents and a survey to determine what the residents feel they would benefit from the BeltLine project, perceived barriers, and extent of environmental health awareness. The results will provide recommendations for strategies to enhance the opportunities to address health disparities from the BeltLine's future redevelopment efforts.

Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and prevention
Environmental health sciences

Learning Objectives:
Discuss documented health disparities in the NPU-V neighborhoods Identify community’s needs and potential improvements regarding built environment Analyze how Atlanta BeltLine has the potential to promote active living and prevent onset of chronic diseases Explain how the new development can play an important role in reducing crime in certain neighborhoods Identify key benefits for residents such as better access to parks and trails, more opportunities for exercise, less traffic congestion, improved air quality. Formulate strategies to enhance the opportunities to address health disparities from the BeltLine’s future redevelopment efforts

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: My research interest focuses on study of health disparity in urban scenarios.I am a trained City planner and I am particularly interested in the effects of the built environment on human health, especially on the minority communities. I would like to work on the relationship of urban design and physical activity among the African American communities in the Atlanta region.
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.

Back to: 5008.0: *Poster Session*: Transportation and population health