Where and how we live affects our health. It’s both that simple and that complicated.
Cities knew this well in the past, when improvements in sanitation, infectious disease control and even the eradication of lead-based paint dramatically improved health and longevity. Over time though, priorities shifted to other metrics. And yet the basic issue remains that fundamental aspects of how we build and maintain the environment in which we live has a dramatic influence on health and well-being.
Light rail is a great opportunity to refocus on health and well-being improvements in urban settings. Which is why St. Luke’s Health Initiative has partnered with the City of Phoenix, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Arizona State University and key local organizations in a collaborative partnership committed to intentionally creating a healthier built environment. Reinvent PHX is the resulting initiative that works with community partners in five districts along the light rail system to create action plans to improve the quality of life for all residents.
Neighborhoods along the rail line have been grouped into five walkable districts according to their character, and SLHI’s primary role is in ensuring that community health is explicitly addressed for each district– whether in community outreach, developing an understanding of existing conditions, making recommendations or pursuing improvements. Reinvent PHX is all about making the most of the light rail’s presence with complementary transit options (including cycling and walking), housing options for diverse populations, access to healthy food and active living, safer streets, and better public spaces. A major component of this collaboration is to empower communities to be actively involved in the decision-making and implementation process of new developments.
To help our community better understand how healthy eating and active living can and should be encouraged by the built environment, SLHI convened a multidisciplinary health team to think through the research. The resulting issue brief discusses how general planning, zoning decisions and transportation should be seen as health assets given their impact on health, particularly on the incidence of obesity and chronic diseases. Read more here.
As part of the planning efforts for Reinvent PHX, SLHI and other members of the health team were tasked with gathering information from residents in each of the five districts. With this information, along with other primary and secondary data, the health team is finalizing production of health impact assessments for each district, paying special attention to access to healthy food, recreation and pedestrian safety. The findings and intervention strategies to improve health for the first of these districts, the Gateway District, can be found in this Health Impact Assessment Report, and subsequent reports for the remaining districts will be released soon.
It’s just common sense: our surroundings impact how we live, work, learn and play. They are a key influence on our health. Distance matters. Accessibility matters. Safety—actual and perceived—matters. Together, they shape the choices that determine our health.