Active Community Environments are places where people of all ages and abilities can easily enjoy walking, bicycling, and other forms of recreation. Priority recommendations include utilization of urban planning, transportation policy and infrastructure changes to promote non-motorized transportation, as well as enhancement of safety and perceived safety of communities.

The descriptions below illustrate what organizations and communities are doing to support active community environments.

Seniors on Bainbridge Island are going to feel and be safer, once the red flags are installed and in use at busy crosswalks. Learning from others in Kirkland who launched a red crossing flag program, the folks on the Non-Motorized Transportation Committee in Bainbridge have been talking to City officials about seniors' slower reaction times and their need to walk downtown to do their errands. Red flags are placed in containers on each side of crosswalks and pedestrians carry them across to signal drivers. They deposit them in a container on the other side. Local citizens will volunteer by each Ped-Flag crosswalk to keep flags available in containers.

Target audience: Seniors and disabled on Bainbridge Island

Evaluation: Volunteers will make formal observations of the number using the flags at selected crosswalks. They will also talk with seniors informally and note when citizens ask for more crosswalks to be included in the program.

Partners: Bainbridge Island Senior Community Center, City of Bainbridge Island, Public Works Department

Lead agency role: Bainbridge Island Senior Community Center provides a variety of activities to keep Seniors active, healthy, and involved in the community.
For more information:
Orabelle Connally
Tel: 206-780-9799

Communities across the state are taking steps to get people moving to improve their health. Many, however, lack resources and guidance to make it easier for children to walk to school or families to get to a recreation center or park.

The Active Community Environments Project helps communities promote physical activity by improving community design, public transportation, recreational facilities, and walking and biking paths. Workshops held in eight counties in June brought together more than 160 people, many of whom don’t usually work together – such as national parks, public health, and city planners.

The workshop, developed by Feet First, explored options for creating active communities, identifying assets and opportunities, and planning transportation and land-use.
Course presenter Dr. David Levinger is a professional engineer, political anthropologist, and executive director of Feet First. Co-presenters included Kirste Johnson, an associate planner with the Puget Sound Regional Council, James Kissee, Washington State Department of Health, and Charlotte Claybrooke, Washington State Department of Transportation.
Target audience: Community organization leaders and concerned citizens in eight communities throughout the state.

Evaluation: Evaluations were collected at sessions and will be analyzed this summer.

Partners: Washington State Department of Health, Washington State Department of Transportation, Washington State Community Trade and Economic Development Council, Local Health Jurisdictions, Regional Transportation Councils
Lead agency role: Department of Health contracted with Feet First to develop the presentation. Discussions were led by health and transportation representatives.
For more information:
James Kissee
Tel: 360-236-3623
Web: http://www.doh.wa.gov/cfh/NutritionPA/default.htm


The Healthy Communities Tool Kit was published in May 2005 by the Washington State Department of Health. The Mount Vernon and Moses Lake Healthy Communities Projects are examples of how two Washington cities mobilized their communities to address health problems associated with the lack of physical activity and poor nutrition. This Tool Kit is a way to share what these communities learned and advice they offer others interested in mobilizing their own community.
Target audience: Any Washington State city, town, or tribe interested in creating a healthier environment that makes it easier for people to be physically active and chooose healthy foods.

Evaluation: The number of downloads of toolkit documents from the website will be monitored by the Department of Health. Post cards will be mailed to all recipients of either the CD-ROM or the printed toolkit, asking for feedback about how the toolkit is being used. Inquiries for techical assistance to the communities and the Department of Health will be documented.
Partners: Washington State Department of Health, Nutrition and Physical Activity Program staff; City of Moses Lake and their leadership partners; City of Mount Vernon and their leadership partners; National Park Service, University of Washington Center for Public Health Nutrition

Lead Agency Role: WA Department of Health provides technical assistance and resources to local and state partners to implement the WA State Nutrition and Physical Activity Plan.

For more information:
Ruth Abad
Tel: 360-236-3702
 Web: The Tool Kit is available electronically at http://www.doh.wa.gov/cfh/NutritionPA/pdf_files/hctk_lowrez.pdf




This publication was supported by Grant/Cooperative Agreement Number U58/CCU019291 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the CDC.


Last updated: March 28, 2006 15:16