Active Community Environments

All photos courtesy of Dan Burden

Click here to learn more about Active Michigan Communities

Introduction

What is an Active Community?

Benefits of an Active Community  

Demonstration Projects

Introduction

Wondering why it is so difficult to get daily exercise? It could be, in part, due to the design of your community. Recent studies show that the design of the built environment can significantly impact an individual’s physical activity level. In fact, residents of highly walkable neighborhoods engage in physical activity approximately 70 more minutes per week than residents of a low-walkable neighborhood.†  As communities recognize the impact of design, policy and programs on residents’ health, there has been a growing movement in Michigan and throughout the country to create more walkable, bikeable communities to increase opportunities for physical activity.

Is your community part of this growing movement?  What is your community doing to create and sustain environments, policies, and programs that support active living?  Tell us your story!  Sharing your success will help other communities with their efforts to become models of active living.  Click here to share your story with us.

Unsure if your community is an active one? Keep reading!

What is an Active Community?

Active living communities are places where it is easy to integrate physical activity into daily

routines.  While there is no template for what an active community looks like, there are general characteristics that help define an active community:

• A comprehensive network of non-motorized facilities (on and off road);
• Development is compact, dense, & diverse to provide varied and plentiful destinations;
• A civic culture of support policies & infrastructure; and
• Residents are walking and bicycling!

There are also 3 guiding principles that work in concert to create an active living community.

• Port Huron, MI:  The community provides both on and off road non-motorized transportation facilities that allow residents to walk and bike for fun or transportation.

  Current Environment:  the design and maintenance of the built environment and transportation networks must make it safe and attractive for people to walk or bicycle;  

• Novi, MI:  This plan is a result of a strategic approach used by community leaders to identify and prioritize sidewalk connections and repairs.

  Policies & Planning:  planning documents, municipal ordinances and development review processes assist decision-makers to create a community vision that includes walking and bicycling; and

• Trtaverse City, MI:  Smart Commute is one of many programs the community sponsors to encourage residents to be physically active.

  Programs & Promotion:  education and outreach in schools, neighborhoods, and worksites are essential to encourage people to participate in physical activity.

A community that supports and promotes active living is a great place to work, live, and play. Click here to learn more about Active Living Community Concepts.

Benefits of an Active Community

Why should you make your community active?  Besides increasing physical activity and overall health and well-being, there are many other benefits from creating and maintaining an active living community. 

• Economic: stronger economies as evidenced by an increase in real estate values and business growth;
• Environmental: using non-motorized transportation reduces air and water pollution;
• Greater Social Equity: there are convenient and safe opportunities for all citizens to be active;
• Increased Safety: reducing traffic speed and/or volume results in fewer crashes and pedestrian deaths; and
• Enhanced Community Connections: residents come into contact with one another on a daily basis, which acts to increase social interaction and build stronger ties to the community.

These benefits enhance the overall quality of life in a community. 

Demonstration Projects

The Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness builds partnerships with community groups in Michigan to develop and implement grant-supported demonstration projects. These are grassroots-driven projects guided by local stakeholders to create policies and supportive transportation networks that enable residents to incorporate walking and bicycling into their daily routines. Communities that participate in demonstration projects act as “learning labs” where strategies to create active living communities are evaluated to determine what works well and where improvements can be made. The ultimate goal is to develop a “toolkit” that outlines successful community strategies and lessons learned that can be disseminated to a statewide audience.

Currently, the Governor’s Council helps facilitate demonstration projects in two Michigan communities

Jackson:  The Fitness Council of Jackson works with Jackson’s Walkable Communities Task Force to make it easier to be active through a variety of programs that create an environment in which it is safe and convenient to choose a healthier mode of travel like walking or bicycling.  Click here for more information.

Flint:  The Safe and Active Flint (SAF) project is facilitated through the SAF Coalition, a multidisciplinary stakeholder group that is guiding a multi-year initiative to encourage pedestrian- and bicycle-oriented transportation in Flint.  Click here for more information.

For more information on Active Communities, please contact Sarah Panken, Active Communities Coordinator at (800) 434-8642 or slpanken@michiganfitness.org.

Return to Michigan Fitness Home Page