What We're Doing : Community design : Program resources

Many resources provide more information about programs and resources that are influencing community design to promote physical activity and thereby improve citizens’ health. Here are a few good starting places.

Active Living Minnesota Online Information about Active Living in Minnesota: Ask questions of local and national experts, browse topics, and find out what is happening in communities.

Walkable Bikeable Community (video)

See how businesses in Hopkins, Minnesota benefit from having a walkable, bikeable community.

Safe Routes To School (video)

See how Red Pine Elementary School in Eagan, Minnesota uses Safe Routes to School to support more kids walking or biking to school.

Planning for Health and Active Communities (video)

Outcomes of the Active Community Planning and Design for Health programs.

View or download this panel discussion of 4 of the 19 communities funded by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota to work with Design for Health to incorporate active living and healthy-environment principals into their community plans and policies.

Design for Health This site offers technical assistance, tools, case studies and other useful resources for cities and counties that seek to use community design and policy to better accommodate a physically active and healthy lifestyle by residents and visitors. Sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.

Active Living by Design Active Living by Design is a national program of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It establishes and evaluates innovative approaches to increase physical activity through community design, public policies and communications strategies.

Leadership for Healthy Communities Leadership for Healthy Communities is a national initiative supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that supports government leaders as they create and promote policies, programs and places that enable active living and healthy eating. The goal: to improve the health, well-being and vitality of communities.

Does the Built Environment Influence Physical Activity? (pdf) This Institute of Medicine Transportation Research Board special report examines the role of land use and travel patterns in the physical activity levels of the U.S. population.

Active Living Resource Center

The Active Living Resource Center (ALRC) website provides resources and tools to help make walking and bicycling part of any community.

The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center serves to improve the quality of life in communities by supporting the increase of safe walking and bicycling as a viable means of transportation and physical activity.

CDC's Recommendations to Increase Physical Activities in Communities (pdf)

Program overview Program elements Program resources