Health

RELATED TOPICS: Performance Measurement, Plan Development

The known health benefits of regular physical activity are far-reaching: reduced risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and other chronic diseases; lower health care costs; improved mental health and resiliency; and improved quality of life and ability to live independently for people of all ages.

While individuals may choose to walk or bike more often to help meet their own personal physical activity or fitness goals, it is also important that the built environment provide support and opportunities for safe, comfortable active travel. In rural or low-income areas, many individuals may lack access to gyms or fitness centers that provide opportunities for physical activity; thus, well-designed and located sidewalks, bike facilities, and shared use paths become even more critical in supporting community health.

Many transportation and public health agencies have recognized the important role that transportation policies, programs, and projects play in enabling healthy and active forms of travel, as well as the broader public health benefits that these can have. There are many tools and examples available to transportation agencies to support the integration of health considerations in their decision-making processes. For example, many agencies are applying Health Impact Assessment studies to assess transportation projects positive or negative impact on health. Others are adopting a Health in All Policies approach to holistically consider ways to meet their community's health needs. There are also many examples of partnerships and coalitions involving planners, transportation staff, and the health community to advance health initiatives.

Resources

NCHRP Research Report 932: A Research Roadmap for Transportation and Public Health
Transportation Research Board
Builds upon bodies of work that recognize and act on the connection between health and transportation and provides a plan for funding research over the next decade that considers health issues in transportation contexts.

County Level Health Data to Support Transportation Planning
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Presents PLACES, a repository of searchable county level health data.

Healthy Communities Policy Guide
American Planning Association (APA)
Identifies policy ideas for local, state, and federally elected officials aimed at improving community health and quality of living through planning.

The Transportation and Health Tool
U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Provides access to data that practitioners can use to identify health impacts of transportation projects and systems.

Moving Healthy: Linking FHWA Programs to Health
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Summarizes FHWA programs and funding sources and ways in which health may be advanced within them.

More Resources >

Examples

Share the Road for a Healthy Maine
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC)
The Bicycle Coalition of Maine wanted to use public education and awareness to change behavior to make the existing infrastructure safer immediately.

High Bike Use Scenarios in 17 Countries: Impacts on Public Health
Streetsblog USA
Finds that the benefits of biking outweigh the risks, and that replacing car trips with bike trips could prevent premature deaths from disease as well as from traffic violence.

Pursuing Equity in Pedestrian and Bicycle Planning
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC) and Federal Highway Administration
This white paper discusses ways to improve the ability of traditionally underserved communities to travel safely and conveniently via walking or wheeling in a sustainable, equitable transportation system

Using Health Impact Assessments to Evaluate Bicycle and Pedestrian Plans
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center
This white paper explores the opportunities that exist for incorporating Health Impact Assessments in the transportation planning process.

Integrating Public Health in Public Land Transportation Planning: Call for Case Studies
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and WSP USA
Provides details about a call for case studies on integration public health in public land transportation planning research project conducted by the FHWA Office of Federal Lands Highways.