# Healthy Places by Design

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Catalyst for a culture of health

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [Parks and Community Health](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/parks-and-community-health/): There is clear evidence that living near parks and natural places improves health—depending on the park.
- [Embracing Equity at the 2019 NRPA Annual Conference](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/embracing-equity-at-the-2019-nrpa-annual-conference/): Highlights from the 2019 National Recreation and Park Association Annual Conference
- [Jamie Elliott](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/jamie-elliott/): Senior Project Director Community appreciator, back-porch ponderer, and maintainer of hope
- [Culture Change Happens Up Close](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/culture-change-happens-up-close/): I spend a lot of my time trying to convince foundations and coalitions that authentic community engagement is the best way to work toward health equity.
- [Embrace Discomfort to Achieve Health Equity](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/embrace-discomfort-to-achieve-health-equity/): To "embrace difference to achieve health equity," we must pay attention to the various factors that converge in individual communities and uniquely impact the people that live within them. Doing this calls us to be curious about differences, intentional about widening our perspectives, and perceptive about interconnections between health and other complex social issues like
- [Niagara Falls Is Creating Health through Social Connection and Trust](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/niagara-falls-is-creating-health-through-social-connection-and-trust/): A committed group of residents have been quietly building trust in the City of Niagara Falls since 2015.
- [Design Inclusive Public Spaces to Strengthen Social Connections](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/design-inclusive-public-spaces-to-strengthen-social-connections/): People living in socially connected communities are more likely to thrive because they feel safe, welcome, and trust each other and their government. Trusting, meaningful relationships enhance our mental, physical, and emotional health and well-being. In fact, strong social connections and networks can boost a person's lifespan by 50 percent.1 Imagine a socially connected community
- [Prioritize Social Connections in Transportation Systems](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/prioritize-social-connections-in-transportation-systems/): Our transportation system can help to initiate conversations and strengthen social connections. Read our latest blog for three ideas you can use.
- [Creating Global Strategies for Social Connections: A Conversation with Edward Garcia](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/creating-global-strategies-for-social-connections-a-conversation-with-edward-garcia/): How do we link global strategies to create a socially connected world? Our Executive Director, Risa Wilkerson, recently spoke with Eddie Garcia, a partner at Healthsperien, about ways we can weave together local, state, national, and global efforts for social wellbeing.
- [Our Shared Humanity Is the Foundation for Cohesive, Resilient, and Equitable Communities](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/our-shared-humanity-is-the-foundation-for-cohesive-resilient-and-equitable-communities/): We must strengthen our social fabric using a shared humanity approach if we want to create sustained and equitable community change. Our colleague Olivia Little shares three diverse community examples that illustrate how this can be done.
- [Four Things We Learned from Evaluating Our Impact](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/four-things-we-learned-from-evaluating-our-impact/): Learning what works and what doesn’t is essential for nonprofits, governments, and partnerships to make the most impact in communities. This often means first asking: “How do we know the impact we’re making?” We launched a process to find out.
- [Advance Your Work by Telling Stories](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/advance-your-work-by-telling-stories/): Storytelling is vital for social change, because stories help us replicate successes, learn from others’ missteps and innovate better solutions.
- [Improve Your Message By Asking Questions—Especially These Questions](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/improve-your-message-by-asking-questions-especially-these-questions/): Healthy community leaders are constantly aiming to create demand and support for specific changes, and it can be tempting to use traditional health messaging, with its jargon and dense data sets, to sway opinion. However, when health is assumed to be the driving value for all audiences, that approach rarely works well. When resources are
- [Building a Culture of Health through Collaborative Learning](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/building-a-culture-of-health-through-collaborative-learning/): It is impossible to achieve and sustain a culture of health without practicing a culture of learning. The complexities of the community transformation process require us to be curious and proactively seek new knowledge and fresh perspectives. Of various learning definitions, styles, and approaches, Active Living By Design (ALBD) views collaborative learning as a key
- [Sustainable Thinking: Destination or a State of Being?](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/sustainable-thinking-destination-or-a-state-of-being/): When we think about sustaining healthy community change, it can feel a bit like running on a treadmill. It’s hard and, no matter how high we turn up the speed, it can feel like we’re not making any progress.
- [Authentic Community Engagement Requires Vulnerability](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/authentic-community-engagement-requires-vulnerability/): When was the last time you were disarmed and uncomfortable in a professional setting, and stayed in that place longer than usual for the greater good? In order to create healthy community change, community engagement is vital and can sometimes create such discomfort. One of Healthy Places by Design's six Essential Practices, community engagement is
- [New Partners: Smarter about Context](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/new-partners-smarter-about-context/): A smart person in our field once said, “When you’ve worked with one community, you’ve worked with one community.” I understood this to mean that communities are unique entities.
- [In Defense of Racial Equity Training](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/in-defense-of-racial-equity-training/): Racial equity trainings aren’t just in demand; they are also effective. This can be seen firsthand in Chatham County, NC.
- [Robert David on Collaboration versus Partnership](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/robert-david-on-collaboration-versus-partnership/): In true collaboration you should feel just as much of the warmth from the sun as any other partner.
- [Community Achievements Mark Wrap-Up of Healthiest Cities and Counties Challenge](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/community-achievements-mark-wrap-up-of-healthiest-cities-and-counties-challenge/): Note: This article is cross-posted on APHA's Healthiest Cities and Counties Challenge Communities4Health blog and Healthy Places by Design's blog.
- [Local nonprofits receive $50,000 investment to help create equitable, age-inclusive spaces](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/activatingbostonpressrelease/): Investments from John Hancock, supported by the City of Boston, AARP Massachusetts, UMass Boston, and Healthy Places by Design strengthen community-led action.
- [From Honolulu to NYC, Intergenerational Strategies Are Tackling Social Isolation](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/from-honolulu-to-nyc-intergenerational-strategies-are-tackling-social-isolation/): Intergenerational strategies pack a multiplier effect when it comes to building socially connected communities. Read highlights from our recent discussion with local leaders who are deeply engaged in creating intergenerational connections in their communities.
- [More Great Examples of Committed Leaders Addressing Systemic Social Isolation](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/more-great-examples-of-committed-leaders-addressing-systemic-social-isolation/): Social isolation requires public health practitioners and other local leaders to work across disciplines and beyond traditional comfort zones to help reconnect communities for the good of the people who live in them. Read more in our blog.
- [Healthy Neighborhoods Fund](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/healthy-neighborhoods-fund-2/): STATE New York State Health Foundation
- [A Blighted Philadelphia Park Becomes Community’s Jewel](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/a-blighted-philadelphia-park-becomes-neighborhoods-jewel/): Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Philadelphia's 87-acre Hunting Park has had a miracle resurgence thanks to community activists and a broad-based coalition. Established in 1856, Hunting Park's neglected facilities fell into disrepair in the 1960s. By the mid-1980s, the park that was once recognized as an asset was better known for prostitution, drug
- [Put Race at the Center to Improve Health](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/put-race-at-the-center-to-improve-health/): Racism impacts our health and well-being. This is something we don't say often enough, despite the fact that people of color still have higher rates of morbidity and mortality than white people. The stresses of racism start in the womb through stressors on mothers. Continuing in childhood and throughout life, discrimination and oppression are embedded
- [Is America Anti-Racist or Not? Answer with Your Vote.](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/is-america-anti-racist-or-not-answer-with-your-vote/): President Trump and his administration recently instructed federal agencies to end trainings on critical race theory and White privilege, calling them divisive and anti-American. What the next administration does is up to us—who we vote for, what we demand from them, and how we hold them accountable.
- [Communities Rising to the Challenge: Coming Together, Reflecting on an Uncertain Year](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/communities-rising-to-the-challenge-coming-together-reflecting-on-an-uncertain-year/): Note: This article is cross-posted on APHA's Healthiest Cities and Counties Challenge Communities4Health blog and Healthy Places by Design's blog.
- [Reduced social isolation = better health](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/reduced-social-isolation-better-health/): If you invest in or guide local change makers, let us help you decrease social isolation as part of your broader strategy to equitably improve community-level health and wellbeing.
- [Community-level power-building](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/community-level-power-building/): Activate the capacity of the leaders in your community, traditional and emergent, to powerfully and elegantly work together toward positive systems-level change.
- [Measuring Social Connectedness in Local Communities](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/measuring-social-connectedness-in-local-communities/): Interesting, innovative new models are emerging nationwide for measuring the degree to which community members are connected or disconnected from one another. Read highlights from our recent discussion on measuring social connectedness.
- [How Two Funders Support Socially Connected Communities](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/how-two-funders-support-socially-connected-communities/): As part of an ongoing virtual learning network series, we recently hosted a conversation with local leaders to learn how funders embed social wellbeing into their work. Read this blog for a summary of the conversation.
- [Increasing Social Connectedness in Rural Settings](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/increasing-social-connectedness-in-rural-settings/): As part of an ongoing virtual learning network series, we recently hosted a conversation with local leaders to discuss rural strategies for social connections. On this particular call, people working in rural areas across many different communities discussed how they address rural isolation and shared ideas to create more connectedness.
- [Supportive Housing Environments Build Community](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/supportive-housing-environments-build-community/): Housing environments not only affect health and safety, but also create opportunities for connection with neighbors and community members.
- [Three Ways Public Libraries Support Socially Connected Communities](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/three-ways-public-libraries-support-socially-connected-communities/): You may be surprised to learn that libraries—and librarians—play an expansive role in building community and supporting health that goes well beyond their well-earned reputation for providing access to information. Read our latest blog from guest author, Noah Lenstra, for more.
- [Social Connection in the Time of COVID-19](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/social-connection-in-the-time-of-covid-19/): To start, let’s call it “physical distancing” instead of "social distancing." Social connections will prove more vital than ever in the absence of physical gathering places, and there are abundant opportunities to be social even with physical distancing in place.
- [Announcing Our New Deputy Director, Teresita Maz](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/announcing-our-new-deputy-director-teresita-maz/): Inspired by his mom, this young leader is working to transform Leadville, CO.
- [Asta Petkeviciute](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/asta-petkeviciute/): Advisory Board Member
- [Facilitate community-led change](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/facilitate-community-led-change/): We work with funders, local leaders, and residents in highly attuned ways to facilitate community-designed, community-led strategies to equitably improve local health and wellbeing.
- [Addressing Root Causes of Health Equity Through a Network of Food Banks](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/addressing-root-causes-of-health-equity-through-a-network-of-food-banks/): We are pleased to be in partnership with Feeding America, a national network of 200 food banks and 60,000 partner agencies that addresses hunger as part of a more comprehensive goal for health equity. Read our latest blog to learn more about their Health Equity Training and how Feeding America’s network of partners are prioritizing health equity.
- [Kitty Hsu Dana](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/kitty-hsu-dana/): Advisory Board Member Health Leader, Strategist and Connector
- [Jasmine N. Hall Ratliff](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/jasmine-n-hall-ratliff/): Advisory Board Member Executive Director of Build Missouri Health
- [Gabriella Peterson](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/gabriella-moreno/): Project and Events Coordinator Lover of details, organization, reading, and travel
- [In Solidarity: Community Support for Health Equity](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/in-solidarity-community-support-for-health-equity/): In Solidarity is a new resource offered by our longstanding partners at County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. Read our latest blog to learn more about how this podcast fulfills a unique niche and will help anyone engaged in community health equity efforts.
- [Why We Joined the Fight Against Tobacco Inequities](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/why-we-joined-the-fight-against-tobacco-inequities/): Engaging people most impacted by an issue is vital for effective community solutions. This blog features the work of Black-led organizations that are charting a courageous path by reducing tobacco disparities in the Mississippi Delta and beyond.
- [How Fiscal Sponsorship Advances Social Justice](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/how-fiscal-sponsorship-advances-social-justice/): We recently spoke with Asta Petkeviciute, Chief Financial Officer for Social Impact Commons, about the parallels between the fiscal sponsorship community and the mission of nonprofits, especially those focused on social justice. Read more in our latest blog.
- [Service, Community, and Partnership](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/service-community-and-partnership/): As his time as Chair of our Advisory Board comes to an end, Niiobli Armah IV reflects on his 13-year relationship with Healthy Places by Design, lessons learned, and continued opportunities. Read more from Niiobli in our latest blog.
- [Conveners for Health and Equity in Six New York Communities: Community Convener Mandy Snay - Clinton County Health Department](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/community-conveners-clintoncountyhealthdepartment/): With the help of the Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative, this health department in Clinton County, New York invested in partners throughout the county. As a result community residents became advocates making an impact.
- [Socially Connected Communities](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/socially-connected-communities/): Social isolation is not a personal choice or individual problem, but one that is rooted in community design, social norms, and systemic injustices. We must reshape our communities in ways that support meaningful social connection among residents, improve trust between neighbors, and strengthen an overall sense of belonging and community connection. Find resources and action steps you can take here.
- [Conveners for Health and Equity in Six New York Communities: Community Convener Linda Bryant- Project EATS](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/projecteats/): With the help of New York State Health Foundation's (NYSHealth) Healthy Neighborhood Initiative, Project EATS is creating opportunities for the youth in Brooklyn while growing organic produce.
- [Conveners for Health and Equity in Six New York Communities: Community Convener Leah Russell - Syracuse Peacemaking Project, Center for Court Innovation](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/community-conveners-syracusepeacemakingproject/): Learn how the Center for Court Innovation, with the support of the Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative, improved access to healthy food in Syracuse, New York.
- [Conveners for Health and Equity in Six New York Communities: Community Conveners Arlen Zamula and Caitlin Falvey - Department of Health & Mental Hygiene](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/community-conveners-east-harlem/): With the help of the Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative, organizations in East Harlem were able to get funded during the pandemic. Read more in this blog.
- [Conveners for Health and Equity in Six New York Communities: Community Conveners Jennifer Vallone & Michele Rodriguez - University Settlement](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/community-conveners-university-settlement/): Inspired by his mom, this young leader is working to transform Leadville, CO.
- [Conveners for Health and Equity in Six New York Communities: Community Convener Brian Archie - Create a Healthier Niagara Falls Collaborative](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/community-convener-brian-archie-create-a-healthier-niagara-falls-collaborative/): Check out our latest blog featuring one of six community conveners across the state of New York. Learn the story of how this community came together to create healthy opportunities for its residents.
- [Creating Great Places: A Conversation with Amanda O’Rourke](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/creating-great-places-a-conversation-with-amanda-orourke/): Our newest board member, Amanda O’Rourke, is passionate about transforming cities into great places for all people of all ages. In this interview with Risa Wilkerson, she describes how her childhood inspired her career, how listening to youth and older adults helped her check her biases, and much more.
- [Investing in Health: A Conversation with Chadwick Roberson](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/investing-in-health-a-conversation-with-chadwick-roberson/): You may not know - our full team includes an amazing advisory board! They provide counsel, support, and diverse perspectives to help us think creatively. In our latest blog, hear from our newest board member, Chadwick Roberson, about his experiences and connection to our mission—about how and why he invests in health.
- [Introducing: Conveners for Health and Equity in Six New York Communities](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/conveners-for-health-and-equity-in-six-new-york-communities/): In 2021, the New York State Health Foundation’s Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative grant program came to its official end, but not without leaving an important imprint on six conveners and their communities. Over the coming weeks, we will feature these local leaders on our blog.
- [The Power of Narrative: Bringing People Together to Advance Equity with Jonathan Heller](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/the-power-of-narrative-bringing-people-together-to-advance-equity/): As our nation continues to face multiple existential threats – including the pandemic, systemic racism, and civil unrest – we have seen people become divided. In these times when we need to harness cooperative action to solve big issues, what can we do to overcome current polarization?
- [Facilitating a Learning Network with Humans](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/facilitating-a-learning-network-with-humans/): The last two years have been all about “pivoting.” And now we should use this time for “pausing.” Let’s assess what we’re asking of each other before we rush to get back out in the community. How are you bringing more humanity into your work, and not just checking boxes?
- [Traditions make us—but let’s not let them break us: How reexamining our rituals can make stronger families and communities](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/how-reexamining-our-rituals-can-make-stronger-families-and-communities/): Big meals, family gatherings, tip toeing around certain topics…the holiday season is upon us! Do you know all the origin stories around the rituals and traditions you share in your family? What about the rituals and traditions in your community? It might be time to think about the purpose of why we do the things we do.
- [Chadwick Roberson](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/chadwick-roberson/): Advisory Board Member President of Pivotal Advisors
- [Amanda O'Rourke](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/amanda-orourke/): Advisory Board Member Executive Director of 8 80 Cities
- [We Don’t Want Things to Go “Back to Normal” after COVID-19](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/why-we-dont-want-things-to-go-back-to-normal-after-covid-19/): If we don’t address underlying inequities as an integral part of our response to the outbreak, we will not only be less resilient to future pandemics and emergencies, but we will also miss a chance to create a new and more equitable normal.
- [Monique Brown](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/monique-brown/): Senior Project Officer JEDI warrior, truth-seeker, forever student, and persistent pursuer of joy
- [A Message of Hope for 2022](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/a-message-of-hope-for-2022/): How do we approach another New Year with hope? Healthy Places by Design’s executive director, Risa Wilkerson, and board chair, Niiobli Armah, share their thoughts in a video message.
- [Olivia Little](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/olivia-little/): Olivia Little is a Translational Researcher at the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. She supports the RWJF Culture of Health Prize program and researches how local communities are improving community health broadly through strategies to advance equity, inclusion, and belonging.
- [Creating Health and Equity in Rural Communities](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/creating-health-and-equity-in-rural-communities/): Read this blog to learn about rural health and equity challenges, opportunities, and three promising examples for advancing social connection, physical activity spaces, and access to food and nutrition security.
- [Planting and nourishing the seeds for change: HCCC teams are excelling at community engagement and spurring multisector partnership gains](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/planting-and-nourishing-the-seeds-for-change-hccc-teams-are-excelling-at-community-engagement-and-spurring-multisector-partnership-gains/): Note: This article is cross-posted on APHA's Healthiest Cities and Counties Challenge Communities4Health blog and Healthy Places by Design's blog.
- [Upstream Action Acceleration](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/upstream-action-acceleration/): STATE New Jersey Health Initiatives
- [Upstream Action Acceleration](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/upstream-action-acceleration-2/): STATE New Jersey Health Initiatives
- [Advancing Equity by Breaking Down Data in Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Populations](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/advancing-equity-by-breaking-down-data-in-asian-american-native-hawaiian-and-pacific-islander-populations/): If you've participated in our national webinars, you've likely met our discussion group facilitator and producer, Joanne Lee. Lee is also the Collaborative Learning Director at Healthy Places by Design where she provides strategic coaching and assistance to those supporting sustainable community transformation. We recently asked Lee to share her experience working with our most
- [Reflections on the Adventures of Leadership: An Interview with Risa Wilkerson](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/reflections-on-the-adventures-of-leadership-an-interview-with-risa-wilkerson-by-sarah-strunk/): In her final blog, author Sarah Strunk reflects on her time at Healthy Places by Design with long-time friend, colleague, and inspirer, Risa Wilkerson. Read on to hear some of Risa’s thoughts on leadership and the work ahead, as well as a few fun facts about her current life as a digital nomad.
- [A Model for Successful Engagement and Support through Virtual Connections](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/a-model-for-successful-engagement-and-support-through-virtual-connections/): Virtual platforms have become a lifeline for many during the COVID-19 pandemic to disseminate timely information and resources, and stay connected with partners. Since 2012, County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (CHR&R) has been a national leader in utilizing virtual connections to support community leaders and practitioners across the country. Their monthly webinars remain one of
- [A Conversation with Brayhan Reveles](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/a-conversation-with-brayhan-reveles/): Inspired by his mom, this young leader is working to transform Leadville, CO
- [A Fresh Start for Mid 2021 (or New Year’s Resolution for Procrastinators)](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/a-fresh-start-for-mid-2021-or-new-years-resolution-for-procrastinators/): I'm writing this today, more than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, from my kitchen table. Otherwise known as my office. Otherwise known as my son's school desk. Within an arm's reach are notes from a recent meeting, Legos, and a mostly finished bowl of cereal. No wonder I'm easily distracted. This is not an
- [Advancing Equity in Communities: A Conversation with Kitty Hsu Dana](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/advancing-equity-in-communities-a-conversation-with-kitty-hsu-dana/): Her commitment to health equity was born in New York City, where she emigrated from Taiwan as an eight-year-old, then honed through leadership roles in mission-focused organizations, such as Planned Parenthood of Maryland, the American Public Health Association, American Friends Service Committee, and United Way Worldwide. Today, as a health strategist, dot-connector, and Senior Health
- [Community Health Workers Are Essential for Equitable, Thriving Communities](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/community-health-workers-are-essential-for-equitable-thriving-communities/): CHWs typically share the culture, language, socioeconomic status, and life experiences with the community members they serve.
- [Equitable Processes Lead to More Equitable Outcomes](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/equitable-processes-lead-to-more-equitable-outcomes/): A roundup of resources that help practitioners and community leaders ensure that community change processes are equitable and therefore more likely to result in equitable outcomes.
- [Clinic-Community Partnerships Shift Power to Patients](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/shifting-power-to-patients/): Community-centered health initiatives offer a sustainable and effective approach to creating healthy, equitable communities where all people can reach their full potential.
- [Socially Connected Communities: Solutions to Social Isolation](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/socially-connected-communities-report-announcement/): Announcing our upcoming report, Socially Connected Communities: Solutions to Social Isolation
- [Una Conversación con Brayhan Reveles](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/una-conversacion-con-brayhan-reveles/): Inspirado por su madre, un líder joven trabajando en trasformar a Leadville, CO.
- [Make the Social Choice the Easy Choice](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/make-the-social-choice-the-easy-choice/): The rise of social isolation is not a personal choice or individual problem, but one that is rooted in societal norms and community design.
- [Exploring New Waters](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/exploring-new-waters/): Think you’ve exhausted all options? Reach out to some new players. Stretching beyond one’s comfort zone and into a different field of work can be intimidating. “I try to stay in my lane; I already have all I can do,” explained a good friend of mine, the executive director of a community development corporation (CDC).
- [Mending Divided Communities with the Thread of Social Trust](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/mending-divided-communities-with-the-thread-of-social-trust/): Creating a trusting country starts by creating socially connected, trusting communities at the local level through collaborative, community-led, place-based efforts.
- [A Conversation with Liz Weaver](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/a-conversation-with-liz-weaver/): Liz, Co-CEO of Tamarack Institute, shares her wealth of knowledge about collaboration and collaborative leadership.
- [A Conversation with Lamond Daniels](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/a-conversation-with-lamond-daniels/): Norwalk, CT’s Chief of Community Services shares what it takes for a community to thrive.
- [A Guiding Light through a Perfect Storm](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/a-guiding-light-through-a-perfect-storm/): CHR&R launched a five-part special series with an explicit focus on the intersection of race, racism, and health.
- [Highlights from the 2020 Children & Nature Network Leadership Summit](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/lessons-from-the-2020-children-nature-network-leadership-summit/): This week I attended the Children & Nature Network’s 2020 Inside-Out Leadership Summit, a forum where leaders in the movement to connect children with nature can share big ideas and advance action agendas. Although the Summit was originally scheduled as an in-person event in Atlanta, GA, more than 500 attendees adapted to the need to
- [Cultivating Healthy Communities](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/aetna-foundation-cultivating-healthy-communities/): Aetna Foundation
- [Cultivating Healthy Communities](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/cultivating-healthy-communities/): NATIONAL Aetna Foundation
- [Show Them More than the Money](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/show-them-more-than-the-money/): Now more than ever, organizations need additional and non-traditional supports from funders. New Jersey Health Initiatives has risen to the occasion.
- [Content Expertise Doesn’t Guarantee Credibility](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/content-expertise-doesnt-guarantee-credibility/): A couple years ago, I was in a buffet line prior to a community listening session. A local funder had asked Healthy Places by Design to work directly with community members to develop an advocacy and capacity building plan that aligned with residents’ needs and priorities. I’d been invited to present that night about changes
- [“Go Slow to Go Fast” Is Still Good Advice, Even in a Pandemic](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/go-slow-to-go-fast-is-still-good-advice-even-in-a-pandemic/): The Wellness Collaborative in Alamance County, NC is embracing the COVID-19 slowdown as an opportunity to invest in the future of the community it serves.
- [The Importance of Defining the Future We Want](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/the-importance-of-defining-the-future-we-want/): Not just the problems we have
- [Remembering Chris Kochtitzky](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/remembering-chris-kochtitzky/): On May 3, 2020, advocates for active transportation and health equity lost an inspiring, behind-the-scenes leader.
- [20 Cities and Counties Pledge to Advance Health Equity](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/20-cities-and-counties-pledge-to-advance-health-equity/): APHA, NACo and Healthy Places by Design to collaborate on capacity-building efforts to accelerate community change
- [Why We Deleted Our Facebook Page](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/why-we-deleted-our-facebook-page/): We could no longer participate on a platform that routinely violates our values.
- [South Bronx Healthy and Livable Neighborhoods](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/south-bronx-healthy-and-livable-neighborhoods-2/): LOCAL New York Community Trust
- [SNAP-Ed Community PSE Exploration Initiative](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/snap-ed-community-pse-exploration-initiative/): STATE Michigan Fitness Foundation
- [Community Transformation](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/community-transformation/): NATIONAL County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
- [Walkability Action Institute](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/walkability-action-institute-2/): NATIONAL Centers for Disease Control and the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors
- [Alamance Wellness Collaborative](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/alamance-wellness-collaborative-2/): LOCAL Impact Alamance
- [Building Collaboration across the Dan River Region](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/building-collaboration-across-the-dan-river-region/): REGIONAL Danville Regional Foundation
- [The Hands that Feed Us](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/the-hands-that-feed-us/): As a health-conscious vegetarian and college student on a budget, I spend a lot of time in the produce section of grocery stores evaluating what I am going to buy. A lot of thought goes into this seemingly ordinary process—how much is the produce? What is its quality? How easy is it for me to
- [Embrace Difference to Achieve Health Equity](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/embrace-difference-to-achieve-health-equity/): Health equity is gaining prominence in public conversations about community well-being. While not a new concept in the field, it is invigorating to see health equity as an integral part of seminal work and papers, including the recent study of the association between income and life expectancy by Chetty et al., and the inclusion of
- [Our Strategic Framework](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/our-strategic-framework/): Our newly updated framework describes our current priorities and vision for impact.
- [Strategic Framework 2018-2023](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/strategic-framework-2018-2023/): Healthy Places by Design's Strategic Framework is concise, transparent, and flexible. It keeps equity at the forefront, describes our guiding principles, and refines four focus areas of our work. We look forward to connecting with partners around our common goals and invite you to ask us questions and challenge our thinking.
- [Alleviating Food Insecurity Among Older Adults Through Community Partnerships](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/alleviating-food-insecurity-among-older-adults-through-community-partnerships/): Although many people are aging healthily and have access to nutritious food, according to a report by the United States Department of Agriculture, nine percent of households with people 65 and older experience food insecurity.
- [Shamar Bibbins](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/shamar-bibbins/)
- [Is climate change the newest social determinant of health?](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/is-climate-change-the-newest-social-determinant-of-health/): We talk with Shamar Bibbins about how The Kresge Foundation is addressing the connection between climate, equity, and health.
- [How New Jersey Health Initiatives keeps relationships at the heart of its investments](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/how-new-jersey-health-initiatives-keeps-relationships-at-the-heart-of-its-investments/): “It has been exciting to see past and current grantees weave in elements of what they had been funded for five or 10 or 15 years ago."
- [A Corridor of Opportunity](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/a-corridor-of-opportunity/): In late October, more than 100 residents of Danville, VA gathered over dinner to celebrate the unveiling of their Opportunity for All: Quality of Life Plan.
- [Do mobile programs perpetuate racial disparities and health inequities?](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/do-mobile-programs-perpetuate-racial-disparities-and-health-inequities/): After a grassroots community partner questioned the efficacy of a local mobile play program, our senior project officer Tim Schwantes paused for a conversation with the program's funder to explore tough questions about the long-term impacts of their investments.
- [Daijah Street Davis](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/daijah-street-davis/): Project Manager Joyful educator and learner advocating for system-level change
- [How one community trust and eight local leaders are creating a healthier, more livable South Bronx](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/how-one-community-trust-and-eight-local-leaders-are-creating-a-healthier-more-livable-south-bronx/): In 2014, the New York Community Trust (NYCT) invested in three South Bronx neighborhoods to help them become healthier places to live. The Healthy and Livable South Bronx initiative was a departure from past grant efforts, which focused more on individual agencies that provided direct services. In partnership with New York State Health Foundation, NYCT
- [Good Food Is Essential to Good Learning](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/good-food-is-essential-to-good-learning/): It's that time of year again. Summer vacation is over, and whether they like it or not, kids all over the U.S. are going back to school. "Back to school" is synonymous with getting back into a routine for children and families. For many children, the back-to-school routine includes knowing that they will get two
- [Untokening Communities](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/untokening-communities/): Highlights from the 2019 Untokening gathering in Durham, NC
- [Nonprofit Affordable Housing Developers](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/nonprofit-affordable-housing-developers/): Laying the Foundations for Equitable and Sustainable Communities
- [A Picture and a Thousand Words](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/a-picture-and-a-thousand-words/): Youth share their perspective of their own communities through Photovoice
- [The Air We Share](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/the-air-we-share/): How air quality impacts community health, and how we can improve it.
- [Aetna Foundation Grantees Use Virtual Connections for Self-Sustained Learning](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/aetna-foundation-grantees-use-virtual-connections-for-self-sustained-learning/): Over the last year and a half, Healthy Places by Design has supported the Aetna Foundation’s Cultivating Healthy Communities (CHC) grant program by co-creating and coordinating a peer learning network that connects more than 47 place-based partnerships in 18 states.
- [Four Culture of Health Prize Communities Share Why They’re Addressing Education as a Social Determinant of Health](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/four-culture-of-health-prize-communities-share-why-theyre-addressing-education-as-a-social-determinant-health/): Education is a social determinant of health and one of the strongest indicators of life expectancy.
- [Five Ways Nonprofits Can Thrive as Remote Organizations](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/five-ways-nonprofits-can-thrive-as-remote-organizations/): Healthy Places by Design and the Safe Routes Partnership have leveraged a remote office structure to better serve our staff and clients. We recently connected to compare notes.
- [It’s Not About the Horseshoes](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/its-not-about-the-horseshoes/): A few months ago I joined members of the Alamance Wellness Collaborative, a county-wide coalition that Healthy Places by Design supports, on visits to sites around Alamance County, NC. I helped organize this field trip so Collaborative members could learn about different built environment projects co-funded by Impact Alamance and local municipalities. We were learning
- [One Foundation’s Culture of Learning Enriches a Region](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/one-foundations-culture-of-learning-enriches-a-region/): I was recently at a conference with a nationally-recognizable keynote speaker who I had heard a few times over the past few years. I looked forward to hearing new stories, data, and insights the speaker had gathered and how they tied to the decades of work this person has devoted to the topic. However, despite
- [Finding Common Ground with Human-Centered Design](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/finding-common-ground-with-human-centered-design/): Last week, I spent an afternoon with a group of new friends reimagining Rockaway Avenue in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York.
- [Navigating Change and Accelerating Promising Practices](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/navigating-change-and-accelerating-promising-practices/): It’s rare that nonprofit staff have an opportunity to experience the inner workings of a healthcare foundation, let alone four of them. Healthy Places by Design had a unique opportunity to partner with staff from several health legacy foundations that compose the Health Legacy Collaborative Learning Circle (HLCLC).
- [Facilitative Leadership Really Does Work](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/facilitative-leadership-really-does-work/): It’s rare that nonprofit staff have an opportunity to experience the inner workings of a healthcare foundation, let alone four of them. So when I was chosen last year to staff and serve as the eyes and ears, scribe and shepherd for a one-year peer learning journey, I knew I was in for a treat. Twelve months later, what surprises me the most is the spirit of professional respect, transparency, and trust that developed among the participants in a very short period of time.
- [How to Design a Self-Sustaining, Comprehensive Healthcare System](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/how-to-design-a-self-sustaining-comprehensive-healthcare-system/): With the right supports in place, we can create a flywheel effect to improve health and wellbeing for everyone.
- [Transforming Health Systems: A Conversation with Kathy Colville](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/transforming-health-systems-a-conversation-with-kathy-colville/): Kathy Colville is Director of Healthy Communities for Cone Health. A $1.8 billion enterprise, it is one of North Carolina’s largest and most comprehensive health networks, serving communities in more than 100 locations, including six hospitals, 95 physician practice sites, and multiple centers of excellence. In this role, Kathy leads Cone Health’s efforts to improve
- [Creating Safe, Active, and Healthy Communities Through Walkability](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/creating-safe-active-and-healthy-communities-through-walkability/): At America Walks, we know that the benefits of walking extend well beyond health. Everything from familial relationships and community engagement to local economies and environments improve when communities are walkable. America Walks has supported local walking champions for twenty years, helping to create safe, accessible, and enjoyable places to walk and be physically active
- [Atlanta’s BeltLine: So Much More than a Walkway](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/atlantas-beltline-so-much-more-than-a-walkway/): I was impressed by this collective effort for its shear ambition, the amount of heavy lifting by its organizers, and proof of concept that is already on the ground: seven miles of trail are completed.
- [Education and Community Health](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/education-and-community-health/): A personal reflection on the relationship between education and place.
- [Park Inequities Are Symptoms of a Bigger Problem](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/park-inequities-are-symptoms-of-a-bigger-problem/): It’s hard to write about the health benefits of parks with any sincerity while processing two more mass shootings, and the fact that one of them was motivated by white nationalism. Right now, there are a lot of people carrying trauma that no park can heal. That being said, it is still important to address inequitable park access, because it is yet another symptom of our country’s bigger problem: racism.
- [Equitable Park Access](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/equitable-park-access/): A conversation with Rachel Banner, Director of Park Access at the National Recreation and Park Association
- [DIY Community Health](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/diy-community-health/): Alamance County, NC advocates are practicing a culture of learning with a do-it-yoursel(ves) spirit.
- [South Bronx Healthy and Livable Neighborhoods](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/south-bronx-healthy-and-livable-neighborhoods/): LOCAL New York Community Trust
- [At the Intersection of Equity and Parks](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/at-the-intersection-of-equity-and-parks/): A Conversation with the National Recreation and Park Association
- [Community Health and Climate Change: Local Strategies Can Address Both](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/community-health-and-climate-change-local-strategies-can-address-both/): When communities make decisions about where to invest limited time, money, and energy, identifying strategies that address more than one problem is a great place to start.
- [Lessons from Six Years of Supporting Food Systems Change](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/lessons-from-six-years-of-supporting-food-systems-change/): Insights from a Farmer Foodshare board member
- [Racial Equity and Food](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/racial-equity-and-food/): A conversation with Jennifer Zuckerman of the World Food Policy Center
- [A Smorgasbord of Options for a Healthier Food System](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/a-smorgasbord-of-options-for-a-healthier-food-system/): Advocates across many disciplines and with differing viewpoints agree that our food system is broken. But with pervasive problems in every link of that system, there is less agreement about how to fix it, or even what the biggest problem is. Here are just a few of the most common complaints: “Farming is not profitable
- [The Roots of America’s Broken Food System](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/the-roots-of-americas-broken-food-system/): And the communities sowing seeds for a healthier future
- [Do You Know a Connector When You See One?](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/do-you-know-a-connector-when-you-see-one/): "There are exceptional people out there who are capable of starting epidemics. All you have to do is find them." – Malcolm Gladwell, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference Twice each year, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation gathers senior managers from organizations it funds who are working to reduce childhood obesity.
- [Healthy Neighborhoods Fund](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/healthy-neighborhoods-fund/): STATE New York State Health Foundation
- [Walkability Action Institute](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/walkability-action-institute/): NATIONAL The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors
- [Active Transportation Equity](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/active-transportation-equity/): In a recent post, Healthy Places by Design shared an overview of how transportation intersects with creating healthy places. Among the roundup of research were a few points that highlighted inequitable outcomes. Namely, that communities of color are exposed to traffic pollution at higher rates than White Americans1 and disproportionately breathe polluted air caused by White
- [Collaborative Learning](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/collaborative-learning/): NATIONAL County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
- [How Resident Insights Improved One City’s Walkability Plans](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/how-resident-insights-improved-one-citys-walkability-plans/): Highlight of the CDC and NACDD Walkability Action Institute
- [Transportation and Healthy Places in 2019](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/transportation-and-healthy-places-in-2019/): Air quality, rising pedestrian and bike fatalities, public transportation funding, and hopeful examples of change—here’s a roundup of the current state of transportation in the US and what it all has to do with healthy places.
- [Wake County Healthy Community Case Stories](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/wake-county-healthy-community-case-stories/): LOCAL John Rex Endowment
- [Opportunity Neighborhoods Quality of Life Planning Process](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/opportunity-neighborhoods-quality-of-life-planning-process/): LOCAL Danville Regional Foundation
- [Community-Centered Health](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/community-centered-health/): STATE Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation
- [Alamance Wellness Collaborative](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/alamance-wellness-collaborative/): LOCAL Impact Alamance
- [The Health Collaborative](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/the-health-collaborative/): REGIONAL Danville Regional Foundation
- [Pushing Aside the Rural-Urban Divide](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/pushing-aside-the-rural-urban-divide/): The heightened state of distrust between urban and rural communities has made it more difficult to recognize that there is an inherent interdependence between them. Philanthropy is uniquely positioned to offer an intentional approach to rural inclusion, as well as a new rural–urban narrative, that doesn’t increase division.
- [The Planning Sector Has an Inequity Problem](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/the-planning-sector-has-an-inequity-problem/): Three planners we spoke with believe that, while recent efforts to increase diversity and inclusion are important, the planning profession must do significant work to fully address the complexity of equity.
- [Insights from the Intersection of Planning and Public Health](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/insights-from-the-intersection-of-planning-and-public-health/): Three multi-sector professionals share what they’ve learned from more than a decade of working across silos
- [Maslow’s Hierarchy of Inequity](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/maslows-hierarchy-of-inequity/): Whether we look at health outcomes through the lens of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, social determinants of health, or any other framework for sorting society’s systems, a common thread of historic—and too often, current—racial discrimination runs through them.
- [Leadership Wisdom from 30 Healthy Community Leaders](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/leadership-wisdom-from-30-healthy-community-leaders/): Who is behind the rapidly growing healthy communities’ movement across the United States? Who are the leaders bringing their passion and expertise to improve the policies and environments of their neighborhoods, cities and regions? What lessons have they learned? Thirty leaders were interviewed as part of the Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities (HKHC) initiative. HKHC was
- [Communities Building Housing—and Hope](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/communities-building-housing-and-hope/): The 2019 County Health Rankings highlight the link between health and stable, affordable housing with data, strategies, and community examples.
- [A Conversation about Equity, Health, and Housing with Sarah Norman of NeighborWorks](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/a-conversation-about-equity-health-and-housing-with-sarah-norman-of-neighborworks/): We spoke with Sarah Norman, NeighborWorks’ director of healthy homes and communities, about the organization’s work and how it is addressing health equity today.
- [The Housing Trends Harming Community Health](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/the-housing-trends-harming-community-health/): An overview of the housing trends harming community health and the leaders who are doing something about it.
- [America's Health Care Emergency](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/americas-health-care-emergency/): Why isn’t it considered an urgent problem that our health system pours so many resources into treating one symptom at a time rather than identifying and addressing the root causes of poor health outcomes for entire communities of people?
- [Our First Year as Healthy Places by Design](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/our-first-year-as-healthy-places-by-design/): Why we changed our name, re-charted our path, and questioned our core values
- [Are You Saying What You Mean?](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/are-you-saying-what-you-mean/): In early October, I attended a Racial, Equity, and Inclusion training hosted by Blue Cross Blue Shield North Carolina Foundation and facilitated by the CommonHealth ACTION team. Among many valuable insights, I was most impacted by the training’s attention to language. Natalie Burke, CommonHealth ACTION’s President and CEO, worked with the rest of her team
- [County Health Rankings and Roadmaps National Program Director Discusses Collaboration’s Value](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/county-health-rankings-and-roadmaps-national-program-director-discusses-collaborations-value/): Launched in 2009, County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (CHR&R) has become a game changer for communities across the country as they collaborate to build a culture of health. The University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute (UWPHI) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) are partnering through CHR&R to provide data, evidence, guidance, and examples to
- [Six Community Leaders Share Insights from Decades of Collaboration](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/six-community-leaders-share-insights-from-decades-of-collaboration/): When asked about unexpected aspects of collaboration that they’ve learned, they discussed power and disruption, sustainability, collective impact, skill and capacity building, and trust.
- [Joseph Peele](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/joseph-peele/): Project Officer Globally-minded, service-driven Catalyst, and Top 3 International Hugger
- [Three Tips for Hyper-Local Community Engagement](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/three-tips-for-hyper-local-community-engagement/): Earlier this fall, on a whim, I emailed the families who live in the eight houses nearest to mine and invited them to an informal block party. My expectations were low (to match my planning). But what happened was a real-life version of the stone soup story, and I’m reflecting on the good that came
- [How One Organization Put Its Values into Action](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/how-one-organization-put-its-values-into-action/): What happened when an organization's values were tested just days before its signature annual conference.
- [Inclusion Includes You, Too](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/inclusion-includes-you-too/): Many of us working in nonprofits and government agencies wholeheartedly believe in residents’ inclusion in our work. However, we sometimes miss opportunities or shy away from using our influence in places where we are residents.
- [The Problem with Cultural Assimilation](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/the-problem-with-cultural-assimilation/): In a previous blog, I shared that the first time I truly felt like a minority or an outsider in this country didn’t occur until I was an adult. My paternal and maternal grandparents immigrated to Hawai’i from Korea and Japan, respectively, and I grew up there during a time when groups from other countries
- [Q&A with Camille McGirt of Healthy Girls Save the World](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/qa-with-camille-mcgirt-of-healthy-girls-save-the-world/): Project Manager Daijah Street Davis recently spoke with Camille McGirt about how Healthy Girls Save the World is making strides toward health equity in North Carolina, starting with adolescent girls.
- [A Conversation with Natalie S. Burke about Facilitative Leadership](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/a-conversation-with-natalie-s-burke-about-facilitative-leadership/): Some people leave a lasting impression. They live beyond their comfort zones, their vulnerability reminding you that if you don’t try, you almost certainly will fail. They speak their truth authentically and passionately, paving a way for you to search more deeply for your own. And they lead with a spirit of abundance that cultivates
- [Local Governments as Health Champions](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/local-government-as-health-champions/): The Wake County Healthy Community Initiative
- [Why Our Community Action Model Has a New Look](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/why-our-community-action-model-has-a-new-look/): We share the thinking that went into developing our Community Action Model
- [Building Trust as a Community Leader](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/building-trust-as-a-community-leader/): A Conversation with Qonell Totten
- [Monuments to Racism Undermine Community Health](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/monuments-to-racism-undermine-community-health/): At Active Living By Design, we believe that health and well-being are essential human rights, and we know that the connections among race, racism, and poor health are well established.
- [Relationships Are at the Heart of Facilitative Leaders](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/relationships-are-at-the-heart-of-facilitative-leaders/): A Conversation with Wade Norwood, CEO of Common Ground Health
- [Measuring Walking Access to Parks](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/measuring-walking-access-to-parks/): The US Surgeon General’s 2015 report Step It Up! The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities notes that just 22 minutes a day of physical activity such as brisk walking may improve your health. The report goes on to recommend creating desirable destinations, such as parks, that are close to
- [What Does a Culture of Compassion Look Like?](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/what-does-a-culture-of-compassion-look-like/): What happens when all people who spend time in a park—including people without homes—have equal say in how it is renovated? Creating inclusive, healthy places demonstrates that compassion is an undeniable community value.
- [People + Space = Place](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/people-space-place/): That’s why it’s important to include people in our work from the start—both in concept and in practice.
- [Fracturing Families Fractures Communities](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/fracturing-families-fractures-communities/): Immigration policies and practices have inflicted lasting trauma on entire communities.
- [Let’s Start with ACEs and Trauma](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/lets-start-with-aces-and-trauma/): Why is this work relevant to organizations that focus on population health and community-led change?
- [We Have a New Name!](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/we-have-a-new-name/): When we launched in 2002 as Active Living by Design, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, we were at the forefront of the “active living movement,” a new paradigm that contributed to a multi-sector understanding of health.
- [Knowing When It’s Time to Refocus](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/knowing-when-its-time-to-refocus/): We recognized that our season of change had come. And we want to share how we knew it was time to refocus.
- [Organizing Action in the South Bronx](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/organizing-action-in-the-south-bronx/): A conversation with Yineska Guerrero, Healthy Livable Communities Coordinator at Urban Health Plan (UHP), a federally qualified non-profit health system.
- [Modest Investments with Impressive Impact](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/modest-investments-with-impressive-impact/): Impact indicators and lessons learned from the 2016-2018 Roadmaps Collaborative Learning and Action Acceleration initiative.
- [Connecting Health Care and Community Prevention Could Restore Our Nation’s Health](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/connecting-health-care-and-community-prevention-could-restore-our-nations-health/): Izmira Palomares of Little River Medical Center describes the role of a community health worker. The public institutions we’ve long relied on are outmoded and ill equipped to solve today’s financial, demographic and structural challenges. At least, that’s how Americans of all ages have begun to feel. Some harken back to times when families and neighbors
- [Oregon Community Addresses Homelessness to Improve Community Health](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/oregon-community-addresses-homelessness-to-improve-community-health/): Quality housing is essential for health and well-being. As the public health community has broadened its understanding and recognition of the social determinants of health, affordable housing has become a top priority to advance health equity.
- [It's a New Year and a New Day for Active Living By Design!](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/new-beginnings-its-a-new-year-and-a-new-day-for-active-living-by-design/): I’m pleased to announce that as of Feb. 1, we have a new organizational affiliation, Third Sector New England (TSNE). TSNE is a Boston-based 501(c)(3) that provides resources, best practices and field-building support to non-profit organizations and leaders across the country. Established 12 years ago as a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF),
- [What's growing under the numbers?](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/whats-growing-under-the-numbers/): “Not everything that counts can be counted.” – Albert Einstein The release of the 2014 County Health Rankings last week and the expansion of its model and measures underscore the many ways our communities determine our health, the persistence of place-based inequality, and the comprehensive nature of our work to improve health and equity. Many
- [Open Use Policy Provides 210 Acres of Playground and Green Space in Chattanooga/Hamilton County](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/open-use-policy-provides-210-acres-of-playground-and-green-space-in-chattanoogahamilton-county/): What happens when a community partnership embraces its power? Can community-driven change really lead to broad scale policy change? When I think about the recent success of the HKHC East Chattanooga Leadership Council's efforts to increase places for children in their neighborhood to be physically active, I am reminded of the phrase "Faith is the
- [Community-Owned Government: A Lost Ideal or Achievable Goal?](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/community-owned-government-a-lost-ideal-or-achievable-goal/): "...government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." – Abraham Lincoln I’ve often reflected on the ideals in this famous quote by Abraham Lincoln and pondered on its relevance to our collective work in creating healthy communities. More specifically, I’ve wondered about the role of local government in
- [Three Ways to Become a Covert Health Champion](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/are-you-listening-three-ways-you-can-become-a-covert-health-champion/): The intersection of Conkey Ave. and Clifford Ave., in Rochester, NY, has long held a reputation as an open-air drug market. It was not unusual to see drug dealers on all four corners selling to buyers coming from throughout the region. The neighborhood’s bold response? Build a playground and greenway on that spot and activate
- [Active Living By Design Salutes Congressman Oberstar](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/active-living-by-design-salutes-congressman-oberstar/): This past weekend, the healthy communities movement lost one of its most beloved leaders, Congressman James Oberstar. Congressman Oberstar represented the 8th Congressional District of Minnesota from 1975 to 2011 and for many years served as chairman and ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. I first met Mr. Oberstar in early 2002
- [To Build a Bike Lane is to Believe in Tomorrow](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/to-build-a-bike-lane-is-to-believe-in-tomorrow/): I’ve often heard, and like the saying, “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” I love knowing that the seed I plant today will turn into food I enjoy later. Likewise, when I first learned about designing communities for healthy lifestyles, I was passionate about making a difference in my own neighborhood. I
- [Leading from the Middle: A Strategy for Effective Leadership](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/leading-from-the-middle-a-strategy-for-effective-leadership/): Childhood experiences can leave an indelible mark in our subconscious. For some, they also create a trajectory for addressing health inequities in our communities. With strong support, these experiences can ignite the passion and commitment to return to one’s home and provide the leadership needed to address these important issues. My catalyzing experience was
- [Youth Will Make Us Better](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/youth-will-make-us-better/): When youth peer leaders in Fitchburg, MA got involved in the city’s park system, it sparked a newfound sense of pride and ownership in caring for the community’s assets, including a citywide Adopt-A-Park program. These passionate teenagers joined a powerful shift that is reshaping our nation. The largest and most diverse generation in American history,
- [Bridging Community and Home Environments for Healthy Living](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/bridging-community-and-home-environments-for-healthy-living/): At Active Living By Design (ALBD), our vision is that all communities are healthy communities where routine physical activity and healthy eating are accessible, easy and affordable to everyone. In my efforts to “walk the talk” and practice the vision of ALBD, I’ve thought about the meaning of the word “routine” and how the varying
- [Stepping Out of the Exam Room and Into the Community](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/stepping-out-of-the-exam-room-and-into-the-community/): When Active Living By Design’s (ALBD) graduate assistant, Stephen Krumland, goes back to Omaha this month for his final year of medical school at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, he’ll return with a Masters in Public Health (MPH) degree in Health Care and Prevention from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC).
- [More Than a Job](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/that-is-my-job-friends-and-partners-making-health-their-business/): Most of us can recall job descriptions with one final ambiguous responsibility, “other duties as assigned,” the grab bag of impromptu work assignments. In other words, do these chores on short notice and often at the expense of other, more meaningful tasks. For me, some of these duties include helping a co-worker convert a document
- [Patience Pays](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/patience-pays/): I first went to Wrightsville Beach and Wilmington in New Hanover County, NC when I was a young kid on spring break from school. I remember being so excited, because we’d recently moved to North Carolina from Western New York, where it’s rare to bask in the sun in April and unheard of to drive
- [Are You Investing in a Community or a World Cup?](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/are-you-investing-in-a-community-or-a-world-cup/): If you want to know why a highly successful World Cup event could provoke popular street protests in futbol-obsessed Brazil, just follow the money. Low-income Brazilians, long lacking many of the most basic public services, were understandably frustrated and right to question their government’s priorities and motives when the Brazilian government spent billions of dollars
- [Culture of Health: Journey or Destination?](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/culture-of-health-journey-or-destination/): Last week the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) recognized six communities from across the nation (out of hundreds of applicants) with the 2014 RWJF Culture of Health Prize for their innovative efforts to build a culture of health for all. Prize winners take a broad view of health that acknowledges the influences of behavior, clinical
- [Slow Down, You're Moving Too Fast](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/slow-down-youre-moving-too-fast/): In 1966, I relied totally on my bicycle to get everywhere I wanted to go. In my old New York City neighborhood, if you didn’t have a bicycle you couldn’t “hang.” What pleasure I took riding with one hand and sometimes…“Look mom…no hands!” To which she would reply, “Slow down child, and watch out for
- [Leading in a Supporting Role](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/leading-in-a-supporting-role/): She approaches her healthy communities work like a skilled photographer. She works patiently to capture that perfect shot, that moment when someone has an “aha” moment. Based on her range of experiences, she uses different lenses and considers various angles and perspectives to support meaningful changes in the communities she touches. She often works behind
- [Can You Get on Board with Los Jets?](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/can-you-get-on-board-with-los-jets/): Here’s a great storyline. One that has everything: compelling characters, real-life struggles, a hero’s journey and victory in the face of incredible odds. This narrative has played out across America for years, but without a tidy ending. It’s the story of new immigrants and their American children growing up in the small town of Siler
- [Jailed for Justice](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/jailed-for-justice-standing-up-for-what-is-right-and-fair-and-for-those-who-cant/): "Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is man’s original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made." – Oscar Wilde In the last year and a half, nearly 1,000 demonstrators have chosen to be arrested to protest unjust laws that have been enacted by the current North Carolina state
- [Top Seven Ways to Attract and Keep a Great Intern](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/top-seven-ways-to-attract-and-keep-a-great-intern/): Ask anyone about their internship experience and you’re bound to hear an interesting story. Between Charla Hodges and me, we have had seven years of internship experience and many accompanying stories. Some good. Some bad. If one could make a career out of being an intern,* we would be well on our way. From our
- [Youth: Speaking Up and Being Seen](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/youth-speaking-up-and-being-seen/): I’ve heard stories about a time when children were relegated to a separate dining table during large family gatherings. My father-in-law remembers eating last—leftovers after the adults enjoyed the best parts. “We got cold potatoes and chicken legs,” he said. That was a time when children were “seen and not heard.” Thankfully, the healthy communities
- [Begin with the End in Mind](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/begin-with-the-end-in-mind/): In The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Habit 2 is beginning with the end in mind, envisioning what you can’t see but wish to happen. Author Stephen Covey notes, “Begin with the End in Mind means to begin each day, task or project with a clear vision of your desired direction and destination, and
- [Harvesting the Fruits of Disruption](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/harvesting-the-fruits-of-disruption/): When my wife and I disrupted our teenage daughter’s favorite time of the week, we expected resistance. After all, asking her to volunteer for a half-Saturday at a local Habitat for Humanity building site, doing hard work for no pay with strangers, would have meant she’d miss sleeping in and the relaxed morning she craves
- [Culture Catalyzes Sustainability](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/culture-catalyzes-sustainability/): If you build a culture of health, you’re more likely to sustain a healthy community. This was underscored last week when I traveled to Louisiana to facilitate a sustainability workshop for grantees and partners of the Challenge for a Healthier Louisiana Grant Program. The initiative is the first of its kind in the state, and
- [Two Steps Forward, One Pedal Back](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/two-steps-forward-one-pedal-back/): For nearly 10 years, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded Live Well Omaha (LWO)[1] to help make active living and healthy eating easier, safer and more affordable in Omaha and Douglas County, Nebraska. Relying on its strong relationships, LWO convinced key Omaha health funders to take a bold next step with them: to directly invest in
- [Infographics: Worth the Effort?](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/infographics-worth-the-effort/): Did you know that the average shelf life of a tweet or Facebook post is less than three hours? Grabbing your audience’s attention is tricky with the ever-increasing speed of information. You have compelling data and a story to tell, but your message can get lost in a crowded feed. How can you make it stand
- [3 Advocacy Lessons from a Door-to-Door Salesman](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/3-advocacy-lessons-from-a-door-to-door-salesman/): What may sound like a crazy job to some taught me three lessons about community advocacy.
- [NPR’s Terry Gross on Connecting with Others](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/nprs-terry-gross-on-connecting-with-others/): If you want to know how to engage in a meaningful conversation with someone you’ve never met, listen to Terry Gross speak. I had the pleasure of hearing her perspectives at the recent Communications Network conference in Philadelphia. As the longstanding host and executive producer of NPR’s Fresh Air, she has earned numerous awards for
- [Why Michael Brown’s Death is a Public Health Problem](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/why-michael-browns-death-is-a-public-health-problem/): Unsupervised, make-shift play spaces are not uncommon in economically disadvantaged communities. Does this increase the risk of life-threatening encounters with law enforcement? The recent “weekend of resistance” in Ferguson, Missouri, gave me chills. Thousands of people organized in response to the attack on Michael Brown, an unarmed teenager who was shot multiple times and killed
- [Test, Then Invest: Pilot Projects](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/test-then-invest-pilot-projects/): Pilot projects jumpstart conversations and frame them.
- [Growing Food and Planning Connections](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/growing-food-and-planning-connections/): Ten years ago, professional planners and nutritionists rarely sat at the same table, let alone shared a common vision. The recent release of the Growing Food Connections (GFC) Policy Database symbolizes the great strides that have occurred from collaborations across the planning and food/nutrition sectors to achieve policy and practice changes that support healthy communities.
- [Are We Taking Play Seriously?](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/are-we-taking-play-seriously/): There is nothing frivolous about children’s play. It is so important that the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights recognizes “the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts.” Apparently,
- [Ask a Dad: How to Raise a Partnership](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/ask-a-dad-how-to-raise-a-partnership/): Last week, my son turned 18 months old. This may not seem significant, but my partner and I are celebrating. We have reached this milestone together by navigating some frustrating times, changing roles, shifting strategies, emergency middle-of-the-night meetings and lots (and lots) of diaper cream. We found that our partnership requires adaptability, reflection and planning
- [Social Media’s Role in Building Stronger Community Connections](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/social-medias-role-in-building-stronger-community-connections/): While debate continues about the implications of shorter and shorter content on social media, do we know anything about whether these channels help improve our networks or strengthen relationships? A recent study looks at whether Twitter actually builds meaningful connections by examining the formation of “bridging” and “bonding” social capital. The study used social media
- [Will Protest and Policy Lead to Change We Can Believe In?](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/will-protest-and-policy-lead-to-change-we-can-believe-in/): The “weekend of resistance” in Ferguson, MO, in response to the fatal shooting of Michael (Hands Up, Don’t Shoot) Brown—and my view that his death is a public health problem—seems like a distant memory. After the non-indictment verdict for the officer involved, tensions across the country were further compounded by the failure of a Staten
- [New Year, New Word](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/new-year-new-word/): Mahalo. It’s a Hawaiian term that communicates thanks, gratitude, admiration, praise, esteem, regards or respects. Visitors to the islands quickly see how ubiquitous, yet authentic, this expression is and how easily it permeates one’s soul. Not surprisingly, then, spending nearly two weeks in the Aloha State over the holidays gave me a unique opportunity to
- [How Will the Millennial Perspective Change our Work?](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/how-will-the-millennial-perspective-change-our-work/): “We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten.” – Bill Gates Before my 21-year-old daughter headed back to school last week for her final semester of college, we had an insightful conversation about her career and life plans when
- [Inevitables](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/inevitables/): It is 2015. “Back to the Future II” predicts we’ll have flying cars, self-lacing shoes and hoverboards by the end of the year. Flying cars and hoverboards do have working prototypes, but they won’t be impacting healthy communities work any time soon, and it doesn't take a futurist to predict what local leaders should anticipate
- [Looking Back to Move Forward](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/looking-back-to-move-forward/): Policy work doesn’t end after policy adoption.
- [Perspectives on the Power of Policy for Health](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/perspectives-on-the-power-of-policy-for-health/): She’s a Boomer, he’s a Millennial. She was born and raised in rural Robeson County, NC; he grew up in Southwest Houston, TX. She’s a Lumbee Indian, the largest tribe east of the Mississippi River, and he identifies deeply with his Ghanaian, West African culture. Both have close ties to their families and communities, share
- [Less Fluff, Healthier Stuff: Adopt Healthy Vending Policies](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/less-fluff-healthier-stuff-adopt-healthy-vending-policies/): I recently had the privilege of attending the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)’s kick-off meeting to announce its new $500 million investment to help all children grow up at a healthy weight. This investment will focus on changing policies in school and community environments through 2025 by supporting research, action and advocacy strategies. In 2007,
- [A Little Policy for Not-So-Little Change](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/a-little-policy-for-not-so-little-change/): “Policy change” can seem intimidating and hard to achieve. Some folks feel like policy issues should be left to political officials, administrators or scholars, while others who are seeking change may feel powerless against the challenge of navigating complex systems. But what if we reframe how we think about policy change? “Little p” policy changes,
- [More than Winning](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/more-than-winning/): The beloved Coach Dean Smith, recognized in a mural near Chapel Hill After a historic career as a revered college basketball coach, teacher and all around great human being, Dean E. Smith passed away last month at age 83. Our little Town of Chapel Hill, NC (and much of this state) has grieved, honored his
- [The Missing Link: Women’s Leadership in Bicycling](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/the-missing-link-womens-leadership-in-bicycling/): In many American cities, bicycling is making a comeback. People are dusting off their old bikes and fixing them up for their daily commute. They’re purchasing cargo bikes and special trailers to shuttle their children around town. Cities are responding with road improvements and dedicated bike facilities. It’s a renaissance of people committed to active
- [Forging a New Generation of Outdoor Enthusiasts](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/forging-a-new-generation-of-outdoor-enthusiasts/): “Everyone must believe in something. I believe I'll go canoeing.” —Henry David Thoreau. Numerous barriers discourage outdoor activity, like lack of transportation, safety concerns, and for low-income families, the very real financial burden of paying for admission to a state or national park. That’s why I am especially excited about a new national program, the
- [Working Toward a Walking Culture](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/working-toward-a-walking-culture/): In a busy society where productivity is one of our most lauded values, checking “exercise” off our packed to-do lists is tough. In fact, as I write this, I’m looking at a flowchart from Fast Company called “A Day in the Life of Your Most Productive Self,” which suggests we get to work early at
- [Pilot Projects Are a Runway for Policy Launches](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/pilot-projects-are-a-runway-for-policy-launches/): The need to improve access to healthy food is not a new issue in North Carolina; the nearly 350 food deserts across 80 counties impact 1.5 million North Carolinians. The current companion bills in the North Carolina House and Senate that would establish a Healthy Corner Store Initiative are a step in the right direction,
- [Growing Social Connection Through Food](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/growing-social-connection-through-food/): Each year when the weather warms up, I think back to an afternoon when my family picked blackberries by a road’s edge. I remember thorn pricks, bee stings and the pinging sound the berries made in our metal bowls as we plucked them from the brambles. Later, we turned the berries into jam that we
- [For Safe and Sustainable Community Design, Start with the Community](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/for-safe-and-sustainable-community-design-start-with-the-community/): As more governments, organizations and decision makers recognize how the built environment impacts health and quality of life, curiosity about how to incorporate sustainable community design has grown. Daniel Rodriguez has been a part of these conversations, both as a transportation planner and a community member. He currently serves as Director at the Center for
- [Inequitable Policing is a Barrier to Healthy Communities](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/inequitable-policing-is-a-barrier-to-healthy-communities/): On April 12, Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African American man and a native of Baltimore, was arrested for making eye contact with an officer and then running. While in police custody, he suffered a severe spinal cord injury and died a week later. President Obama recently offered his thoughts to the nation in response to
- [Three Ways to Build a Safer Community](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/three-ways-to-build-a-safer-community/): The threat of violence and inequitable policing in low-income communities is nothing new, as Fay Gibson pointed out so well in last week’s blog. Most people living in middle- and-upper-income communities can live without worrying about the real threat of physical violence every day; this is not the case in too many low-income neighborhoods. Black
- [Harnessing the Volunteer Spirit](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/harnessing-the-volunteer-spirit/): Public places that facilitate play, physical activity and healthy food access are critical for a healthy community. However, large projects like parks, greenways and farmers’ markets typically take years to plan, finance and build, and they require significant and steady public resources to maintain. Public works and parks departments must spend their modest budgets wisely
- [“Pass the Ball!” and Other Lessons Learned from My Dear Old Dad](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/pass-the-ball-and-other-lessons-learned-from-my-dear-old-dad/): I remember the day I first learned about traffic calming. I was practicing piano when I suddenly heard squealing tires and a crash. Leaping to a window, I watched our neighbor’s Buick jump the curb, roll onto the grass and stop a few feet short of our living room. After determining that everyone was safe,
- [Pucks and Partnerships:  Learning Lessons from an Unexpected Place](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/pucks-and-partnerships-learning-lessons-from-an-unexpected-place/): When I reflect on what makes healthy community partnerships successful, sports analogies often spring to mind. Common comparisons reference sports like football and baseball, in which the efforts of a team rely upon key positions such as a quarterback or pitcher. While the appropriate model certainly depends upon the context of the game or community,
- [Strengthen Your Collaborative Efforts with these Nine Resources](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/strengthen-your-collaborative-efforts-with-these-nine-resources/): LiveWell Greenville is an example of a successful collaborative effort to improve the overall health of its region in South Carolina. In the Indian folk tale “The Blind Men and the Elephant,” each man touches a different part of an elephant and confidently tries to convince the other men that they know what they have
- [Using Collective Impact to Reduce Childhood Obesity: Considerations from a National Convening](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/using-collective-impact-to-reduce-childhood-obesity-considerations-from-a-national-convening/): About 1,700 people met in San Diego, CA, two weeks ago with one thing in mind: eliminating childhood obesity in the United States. Yes, it’s about children’s health—and so much more. Obesity is not only linked to many chronic diseases and illnesses, but is also associated with social and emotional challenges such as bullying and depression.
- [Look for Mature Leaders to Help Grow Others](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/look-for-mature-leaders-to-help-grow-others/): The healthy communities movement has high aspirations. We want inclusive, multidisciplinary partnerships. We want real, ongoing engagement of struggling residents in low-income neighborhoods. We want shared priorities and measures of success. We want bold, innovative experiments and careful plans. We want data-driven change, policy and environmental change, sustainable and scalable change. We want equity and
- [Healthy Community Change, All Day Every Day](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/healthy-community-change-all-day-every-day/): By day we’re known as Active Living By Design, a multidisciplinary and cohesive team that is committed to creating healthy communities for everyone. But our passion for healthy community change doesn’t end with the work day. On any given night or weekend, you can also find at least one of us volunteering in our own
- [Safe Routes to School Celebrates 10 Years](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/safe-routes-to-school-celebrates-10-years/): The beginning of a new school year triggers a change in most families’ rhythms as they get back to the daily school commute. Thanks to the Safe Routes to School movement, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary in the United States, this process has changed considerably over the past decade. In 2005, the transportation bill
- [Teaching the Whole Child Requires Whole Communities](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/teaching-the-whole-child-requires-whole-communities/): “If I had had to nominate a student ‘most likely to be incarcerated,’ John* would have gotten my vote. So when I see him around town now, it still gives me chills.” My mother, an 8th grade science teacher at a middle school in a rural, low-income region of South Carolina, is still inspired by
- [Let’s Launch a Bike to Class Week](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/lets-launch-a-bike-to-class-week/): As a dual degree graduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC Chapel Hill) studying city and regional planning and public health, I am passionate about promoting healthy and active living. While many physical environments need to be modified or developed to facilitate active living, college campuses typically have the supportive
- [Leadership Changes Bring Opportunity to Refresh and Renew](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/leadership-changes-bring-opportunity-to-refresh-and-renew/): To every thing there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven. With these words on my mind and gratitude in my heart, I’m pleased to announce a new chapter for Active Living By Design (ALBD) and for me, personally. Effective October 12th, I will be transitioning into a new role at
- [Community Traditions and Childhood Obesity](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/community-traditions-and-childhood-obesity/): During a recent visit home, I noted old and new infrastructure and social and cultural practices that affect a child’s ability to eat healthy and be active.
- [The Surgeon General’s Call: Get on your Feet or Wheels!](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/the-surgeon-generals-call-get-on-your-feet-or-wheels/): This week, our nation’s top physician and Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, released his first national Call to Action, Step it Up! The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities. I hope that this significant, science-based document will accelerate two of the simplest activities we can do to improve our
- [Let’s #StepItUp for Children](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/lets-stepitup-for-children/): Last week, the U.S. Surgeon General called on our nation to better support walking and walkability as a fundamental health strategy. Speakers noted that walking is a basic human right and a civil rights issue. I strongly agree, having been with advocates in poverty-stricken neighborhoods as they described how their children have to cross dangerous
- [Propelling the Movement for Change](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/propelling-the-movement-for-change/): Reflections from Voices for Healthy Kids As advocates, each year we look with hope for new statistics that may show us more signs of progress in the obesity epidemic. Some good news came in the latest State of Obesity report—rates have remained stable among girls, regardless of race or ethnicity. Unfortunately, rates continued to increase
- [“I don’t know” is a good place to start](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/i-dont-know-is-a-good-place-to-start/): The most important thing I know about systems change is that I don’t. I don’t know. The fields of public health, health care and the many other disciplines that influence social determinants of health are full of brilliant, hardworking, big-hearted professionals who gather and share loads of knowledge about the theory and practice of systems
- [A Legacy of Joyful Work](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/a-legacy-of-joyful-work/): It’s truly an honor to be the new executive director of Active Living By Design (ALBD), especially as I reflect on my early years of healthy communities work.
- [Partnership is the Heart of Systems Change](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/partnership-is-the-heart-of-systems-change/): The term “systems change” can raise impersonal and institutional connotations, particularly when used within the context of models and theories. Through Active Living By Design (ALBD)’s work and experience in supporting healthy community change over the years, we know that people and relationships are at the heart of impactful change and provide necessary translation and
- [Accidental Systems Change](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/accidental-systems-change/): Policy, systems and environmental change (or PSE change for short) is a phrase we talk about a lot in our work with communities. If we’re introducing the concept for the first time, people quickly understand policy change (e.g., ordinances, codes, employee handbooks) and environmental change (e.g., green space, sidewalks, community gardens), but systems change often
- [Aging Gracefully Through Site Design and Community Connections](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/aging-gracefully-through-site-design-and-community-connections/): I have the “honor” of being the oldest person at Active Living By Design and one of only two Baby Boomers in a sea of Gen Xers, Gen Ys and Millennials. Despite our age differences, we remain a cohesive group, thanks in part to our office culture of staying physically active at whatever life stage
- [Where Safe Routes Are Most Needed](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/where-safe-routes-are-most-needed/): If you’ve read our blog recently, or if you’ve been paying attention to healthy communities media streams in our world, you know about a renewed national push to increase walking and walkability. In that push, I hear a stronger voice for health equity. Simply put, equity is about fairness. Not all neighborhoods are created equal;
- [Active Aging Builds Social Connections: Q&A with Dan Burden](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/active-aging-builds-social-connections-qa-with-dan-burden/): As a member of Active Living By Design’s (ALBD’s) inaugural National Advisory Committee (NAC) from 2002-2005, Dan Burden helped us understand what it takes to create activity-friendly communities for everyone. Over the years, Dan has collaborated with residents, policy makers and practitioners in more than 3,500 communities across the world. And today, he is Director
- [Imagining the Movement We Don’t Have Yet](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/imagining-the-movement-we-dont-have-yet/): As efforts proliferate to adjust to healthcare reform legislation, many new ideas emerge about how to finance change, collect and share better data, change clinical practices, retool our healthcare workforce, and sharpen our collective focus on the social determinants of health. While many of these ideas hold merit, they don’t have the vital, subversive energy
- [Building a Movement for a Culture of Health](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/building-a-movement-for-a-culture-of-health/): At one time or another, almost all of us pledge to be healthier. Eat better, exercise regularly or sleep more. But as we all know, sustaining these efforts over the long-term can prove challenging. At the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), we’ve made our own pledge: to build a Culture of Health in America so
- [It’s the Thought that Counts in Sustaining Healthy Communities](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/its-the-thought-that-counts-in-sustaining-healthy-communities/): The holiday season is a time of traditions. Across families, cultures and beliefs, customs connect us to one another and the past. They can provide a sense of comfort and are often unquestioned over generations. Yet there are times when holding on to what once worked no longer serves the original, well-intended purpose, and
- [Active Living By Design's New Year's Resolutions](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/active-living-by-designs-new-years-resolutions/): With the flurry of New Year’s resolutions usually comes a corresponding pessimism: how soon until we break them? However, as we know from our work creating healthier communities, change takes time. A resolution doesn’t have to be a declaration about a change you’ll make today and keep, without exception, until next year. Instead, it can
- [Reducing Isolationism through Collaborative Networking](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/reducing-isolationism-through-collaborative-networking/): In 2016, I hope the news is filled with stories about connectivity. I don’t just mean more networks of sidewalks, bike lanes, trails and parks, or school gardens and local farms connected to community kitchens and small groceries. While that type of connectivity is important for healthy communities, I’d like for something more to prevail
- [Wellness Collaborative Works to Create Livable Environments](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/wellness-collaborative-works-to-create-livable-environments/): Tired of its reputation as a “bedroom community,” Alamance County leaders want to change the county’s landscape and norms so that it is a healthy and desirable place to live, work and play. The key to their early success has been strong multidisciplinary collaboration and a commitment to an intentional, iterative process.
- [A Rural County Finds Unity in Diversity](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/a-rural-county-finds-unity-in-diversity/): When we began the work of the Center for Community Action 35 years ago in Robeson County, NC, there were no local, pre-existing models of change for us to follow.
- [Charting a New Course:  Reflections from Grantmakers in Health](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/charting-a-new-course-reflections-from-grantmakers-in-health/): Dean Schillinger, a primary care physician by training and co-founder of TheBiggerPicture.org, is now empowering minority youth to change the conversation about diabetes and become agents of positive social change. Amy Berman, a senior program officer at The John A. Hartford Foundation, was diagnosed with advanced inflammatory breast cancer five years ago. Now she is
- [A Fresh Model for Community-Driven Change](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/a-fresh-model-for-community-driven-change/): Active Living By Design is about to launch a fresh model for community-driven change to reflect the evolution our field’s growth. It reminds me of how far we’ve come.
- [At the Intersection of Human Connection and Equity](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/at-the-intersection-of-human-connection-and-equity/): At the fifth Safe Routes to School National Conference, the theme was Intersections: Where Transportation and Health Meet. The sessions were enlightening, and the intersection theme went even deeper. Throughout the conversations, I noticed an intersection of human connection and equity. Keynote speaker Kevin Carroll reminded us that being in motion together (play) is serious
- [These Two Pastors Became Believers—In Young People](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/these-two-pastors-became-believers-in-young-people/): The Reverends Richard Joyner and Jeffrey Brown reached turning points in their careers when they realized that the early, preventable deaths in their communities were problems they could help solve. Through their authentic approach to community engagement, specifically with youth, both have created positive change that many in their communities thought was impossible.
- [Community Service Partnership Builds Capacity and New Leaders](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/community-service-partnership-builds-capacity-and-new-leaders/): Impact Alamance's Elon-Alamance Health Partners graduate fellows program has increased community capacity and strengthened the area’s healthy community workforce. Thanks to the numerous benefits of this experiential partnership, Alamance County’s future is looking brighter than ever.
- [Check Your Leadership Lens Before Embarking on Collective Impact](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/check-your-leadership-lens-before-embarking-on-collective-impact/): When passionate change agents seek structures for their partnership, they should keep in mind key elements needed for a community-level collaborative to succeed. In other words, this is not just about organizing around five key activities or a particular pre-determined structure.
- [Seeing a System of Health Equity Through Community Engagement](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/seeing-a-system-of-health-equity-through-community-engagement/): In the field of public health, the intent of community engagement is to bring together a community’s insider view with a professional’s outsider view so that both can be transformed into a third view that is new knowledge.
- [Deeper Lessons to Be Found in Latest Obesity Trends](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/deeper-lessons-to-be-found-in-latest-obesity-trends/): Two new reports[1] [2] from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), show that the rate of obesity in the United States has risen yet again. From 2013-2014, about 35% of men and 40% of women were obese. The obesity epidemic is now three
- [Does Your Learning Style Support a Culture of Learning?](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/does-your-learning-style-support-a-culture-of-learning/): Our experiences over the years with a variety of community partnerships has reinforced the value of ingrained, ongoing opportunities to learn by improving effectiveness and impact through partnerships, continual assessment of initiatives, and collaborative learning and networking.
- [Learning and Growing at a Small-Town Farmers’ Market](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/learning-and-growing-at-a-small-town-farmers-market/): On a sunny spring Saturday in 2015 in Zebulon, NC, its Community Center became the town’s very first open air market connecting local farmers and residents. The Zebulon Farm Fresh Market operates each Saturday thanks to the persistence and collective efforts of town officials, recreation staffers, farmers, and community members. John Rex Endowment provided crucial
- [Three Lessons My Neighbor Taught Me About Strategic Communication](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/three-lessons-my-neighbor-taught-me-about-strategic-communication/): As I’ve reflected on a recent conversation with my neighbor, I noticed a few key reasons we were able to connect that are relevant for healthy community advocates and nonprofit communicators.
- [How Power Embedded in English Can Undermine Your Work](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/how-power-embedded-in-english-can-undermine-your-work/): When it comes to the complex and often delicate work of community-led change, our word choices matter because they influence people’s ability to trust us.
- [Introducing: Where are They Now?](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/introducing-where-are-they-now/): Over the past 14 years, Active Living By Design (ALBD) has collaborated with amazing professionals and change agents who are talented and committed organizers of healthy community initiatives. Typically, our connection formed because we provided coaching and technical assistance to dozens of partnerships and project directors supported by a variety of multi-year grants. In the course
- [Are We Sustaining Our Work or Sustaining Its Impact?](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/are-we-sustaining-our-work-or-sustaining-its-impact/): Given the inevitable ebb and flow of external funding, it’s no surprise that sustainability is a top-of-mind issue. But what exactly are we trying to sustain? Positions, programs, and activities, or the impact of our work itself?
- [Culture Change Sustains and Thrives In Buffalo](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/culture-change-sustains-and-thrives-in-buffalo/): During a recent visit to Buffalo, New York, I re-connected with partners and saw first-hand how they have grown and sustained a thriving, healthy community over the past 15 years.
- [Commemorating the Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/heres-how-to-commemorate-the-anniversary-of-the-call-to-action-to-promote-walking-and-walkable-communities/): In September 2015, United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy launched Step It Up! The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities. The Call to Action urges Americans to be more physically active through walking or rolling to the best of their abilities and for communities from across the US to
- [Why We Need Generosity for Strong Partnerships](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/why-we-need-generosity-for-strong-partnerships/): We know that relationships matter—especially when we’re seeking change that is truly community-led. Good relationships set the tone for effective partnerships. So what does it take to forge good relationships?
- [It’s Spring. Don’t Just #FindYourPark—Defend Parks for Others](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/its-spring-dont-just-findyourpark-defend-parks-for-others/): I was a “free-range” kid before that term existed. In the rural Southeast, neighbors’ homes lay miles beyond pastures and tracts of forest. I was a serial trespasser on other folks’ property, but we were all spread so far apart that no one seemed to notice.
- [Why Well-Being for Each of Us is Well-Being for All of Us](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/why-well-being-for-each-of-us-is-well-being-for-all-of-us/): In an atmosphere of protecting our “benefits,” we act in ways that are self-serving on the surface, yet don’t result in the long-term benefits that we think they do. Consider any playground or school yard where you’ve seen children struggle to share a toy. The energy they exert to prove the toy is “theirs”—and the
- [Preventive Health Care through Community Cohesion](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/preventive-health-care-through-community-cohesion/): I recently watched “Resilience,” which talks about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress. The combination of having a high ACE score and little-to-no protective relationships has been shown to increase the risk of a whole host of poor health outcomes like heart disease, obesity, liver disease, an increased risk of substance abuse and mental
- [Good Neighbors Address Rural Health Disparities](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/good-neighbors-address-rural-health-disparities/): I grew up in southern Michigan near a small town with only a thousand people. I lived in the “country.” That’s what we called anything outside of the one-square-mile town where I went to church and school. There was (and still is) one bank, one bar, a library, and a few ever-changing shops. Growing up
- [Three Lessons in Communication](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/three-lessons-in-communication/): As we finish the last of Thanksgiving leftovers, many of us are reflecting on the conversations that we had and didn’t have over the holiday. For the first time in years, my family didn’t talk about politics or where the world is going in a handbasket. We did talk about food, though. We pressed my
- [Partnership Lessons from Active Routes to School](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/partnership-lessons-from-active-routes-to-school/): What can a statewide organization’s success teach us about effective partnerships?
- [How to Prepare Your Partnership for Unpredictable Times](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/how-to-prepare-your-partnership-for-unpredictable-times/): Preparation is at the foundation of creating policies, systems, and environmental change for community health and is an ongoing and deliberate process. Learn how your partnership can take steps to prepare for uncertain changes.
- [Finding Common Ground in Divided Places](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/finding-common-ground-in-divided-places/): Dear neighbor: As we exchanged our usual pleasantries this morning in the driveway, we both paused for a moment, knowing that things are significantly different since last Tuesday.
- [A Conversation with Rocio Muñoz on Lasting Resident Leadership and Action for Equity](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/a-conversation-with-rocio-munoz-on-lasting-resident-leadership-and-action-for-equity/): This season urges us to reflect on what gives us meaning. At Active Living By Design (ALBD), we often find that it’s our relationships. Earlier this fall, ALBD promised to reintroduce its readers to community health leaders with whom we have worked in the past, and I am personally grateful to stay in touch with
- [How Nonprofits Can Thrive In a Post-Fact World](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/how-nonprofits-can-thrive-in-a-post-fact-world/): If a fact exists in a forest and no one is there to believe it, is it still true?
- [United We Thrive, Divided We Fail](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/united-we-thrive-divided-we-fail/): In early 2016, I shared my hope that in the new year we’d hear stories about deeper social connectedness that would outshine the media narratives in 2015 centering on loss, terrorism, and a general sense of fear. Unfortunately, division in our country seems to be growing, as is fear about the future. With community-led change
- [An Interview with ALBD Board Chair, Niiobli Armah](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/an-interview-with-albd-board-chair-niiobli-armah/): Niiobli Armah IV is founder of We-Collab, a social change organization that works across public and private sectors to accelerate innovation in local communities. He works at Bloomberg Associates, an international consulting firm that helps city governments improve the quality of life for citizens. Niiobli and I have worked together for years and I know
- [Community Progress Lies Beyond Your Comfort Zone](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/community-progress-lies-beyond-your-comfort-zone/): We’re seeing communities across the country, like these in NC and NY, work toward sustainable change in ways that are successful and sometimes uncomfortable.
- [Advancing Equity in Two Florida Communities](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/advancing-equity-in-two-florida-communities/): I was refreshed by a recent conversation with Laureen Husband, who assured me that authentic resident engagement will always be an essential practice for community health.
- [Bringing a Health Equity Focus and Facilitative Leadership Practices to Advocacy Efforts](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/bringing-a-health-equity-focus-and-facilitative-leadership-practices-to-advocacy-efforts/): Lessons learned from my efforts to incorporate health equity and facilitative leadership in my professional and personal lives.
- [How Changing Your Writing Style Can Improve Community Engagement](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/how-changing-your-writing-style-can-improve-community-engagement/): I once knew a guy who couldn’t smell. Anything. At all. And because scent is invisible, his inability to detect it was also invisible. So despite the fact that his cologne could overpower an entire room, I often forgot his perspective. I created countless awkward moments by suggesting that he smell food, flowers, or crayons.
- [Street Harassment Is an Overlooked Barrier to Walking, Biking, and Physical Activity](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/street-harassment-is-an-overlooked-barrier-to-walking-biking-and-physical-activity/): Fortunately, Safe Routes to School programs offer opportunities to address the issue of street harassment while welcoming people of all races, ethnicities, abilities, and gender identities into a supportive, inclusive, and safe environment.
- [Talking Cities, Lived Experiences, and Movement-Making](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/talking-cities-lived-experiences-and-movement-making/): One of the many privileges of being part of the Active Living By Design (ALBD) team is forming long-standing relationships with community partners, learning from their experiences, and celebrating their successes. I recently had the pleasure of joining the Talking Cities podcast and catching up with Matt Enstice, CEO of Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc.
- [Achieving Health Equity Means Including People with Disabilities](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/achieving-health-equity-means-including-people-with-disabilities/): What can we do to ensure that people with disabilities are included in efforts to achieve health equity?
- [How I Benefited from Unfair Housing](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/how-i-benefited-from-unfair-housing/): We can’t undo past wrongs, but the first step in the right direction is to know our history.
- [Programs as Community Ministries](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/programs-as-community-ministries/): “Time- and resource-intensive.” “Unsustainable.” “Limited to individual responsibility.” These phrases have been used to describe concerns about programmatic strategies for improving population health, particularly when public health began emphasizing policy, systems, and environmental change strategies as longer-term approaches. This shift in focus seemed necessary to pivot from a history of over-reliance on programs and promotions.
- [Health Equity: When Good Intentions Aren’t Good Enough](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/health-equity-when-good-intentions-arent-good-enough/): I recently completed many years of service as a board member for a local nonprofit that improves the lives of girls and young women. I loved it and felt we were making a real difference in our community. In the last decade, we quadrupled the number of girls served and had measurable, positive outcomes. We
- [America’s Obsession with Individualism Is Making Us Sick](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/americas-obsession-with-individualism-is-making-us-sick/): Policy, systems, and environmental change strategies are the most promising approaches to ensuring health and well-being for all. Unfortunately, the American public embraces a long-enduring concept that makes these strategies harder to implement: individualism.
- [Partnerships Focus on Social Determinants of Health and Help Build a New Social Contract](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/partnerships-focus-on-social-determinants-of-health-and-help-build-a-new-social-contract/): These partnerships serve as microcosms of civic renewal and learning labs for rebuilding our nation’s social contract.
- [The Unexpected Way Organizations Exploit Vulnerable People](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/the-unexpected-way-organizations-exploit-vulnerable-people/): Imagine this scenario: you’re part of a group of summer interns working on healthy community projects, each with a specific focus that requires a deep understanding of the local context and engagement from residents. You’re excited to start talking to residents, and you know the assignment aligns with your interests. However, early in your project,
- [Is Facilitative Leadership an Art or an Ordeal?](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/is-facilitative-leadership-an-art-or-an-ordeal/): If you’re a changemaker who is committed to community engagement as an essential practice for advancing health equity and addressing complex problems, you are undoubtedly drawn to facilitative leadership. After all, you’re dealing with the failures of inflexible, hierarchical, and overly-specialized systems in order to solve these problems. And who wouldn’t support leaders who listen,
- [To Reduce Impact of Natural Disasters, Strengthen Social Ties](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/to-reduce-impact-of-natural-disasters-strengthen-social-ties/): Layered deeply in the process of healthy community work, so integral they can be overlooked, are two key factors that impact our ability to survive and thrive: trusting relationships and connections to neighbors. The floods, fires, and earthquakes during the last couple of weeks are vivid reminders of how vulnerable community health can be. The
- [Building Effective Coalitions for Racial Equity](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/building-effective-coalitions-for-racial-equity/): Last month, a group of around 500 people and I participated in a webinar covering the launch of the fearlessly groundbreaking Walking Towards Justice Series. It was organized by America Walks and moderated by Charles Brown, Senior Researcher with the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center. The first episode of the series addressed race and residential
- [Home Outside the Comfort Zone](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/home-outside-the-comfort-zone/): When I moved from Hawai’i to North Carolina, I thought of it as an adventure. I was in my 30s and eager to experience new things professionally and personally. Back then, I didn’t view my move as being permanent, and reasoned that I could return home if things got difficult. Having spent most of my
- [Open the Gates You Keep](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/open-the-gates-you-keep/): The most immediate place to accelerate equity is wherever you live and work.
- [Six Reasons to Believe in Government](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/six-reasons-to-believe-in-government/): We often hear that public confidence in government is at an all-time low. However, people generally feel better about local governments. And in six NC communities, we've seen this trust in action.
- [Limitless Thinking for New Solutions](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/limitless-thinking-for-new-solutions/): Many of the talks at TEDMED 2017 were introduced with “what if” statements. “What if electricity were medicine?” “What if we can detect diseases so early that we can avoid them altogether?” Too often, our impulse to bridge this kind of thinking to immediate, plausible action limits the creative problem-solving we’re all capable of.
- [Consider Yourself a Community Healer](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/consider-yourself-a-community-healer/): “How many of you are ministers?” the speaker asked. Years ago at a spiritual growth retreat, I kept my hand down. I wasn’t trained to lead congregations. He went on to share stories of what ministry looks like in action: people helping each other. By the end of the retreat when he asked the question
- [New Year, Renewed Focus: A Sneak Peek at What’s Ahead](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/new-year-renewed-focus-a-sneak-peek-at-whats-ahead/): Organizations need to make internal shifts in order to sustain and sharpen the focus on health equity. Active Living By Design is no exception.
- [An Equity Conversation with Cornell Wright](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/an-equity-conversation-with-cornell-wright/): The North Carolina Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities (NC OMHHD), established by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1992 and part of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, celebrated its 25th anniversary last year. As I reflected on equity in the new year, I called upon Cornell Wright, advocate and
- [When “Community Engagement” Becomes a Roadblock](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/when-community-engagement-becomes-a-roadblock/): Only when we understand that effective community engagement builds from existing community agency, rather than creating it, can we truly achieve sustainable, community-led outcomes.
- [Imagine Such a Place](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/imagine-such-a-place/): Imagine a place where everyone has a fair and just chance to lead the healthiest life possible
- [Test](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/test/)
- [Empowered Learning](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/empowered-learning/): Enter empowered learning, sometimes referred to as empowerment education or adult learning.
- [Walkable Communities Save Lives](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/walkable-communities-save-lives/): How urgent would your work feel if you knew you were saving lives? Healthy community advocates often tolerate pushbacks and delays on new sidewalks or needed crosswalks as we talk about how improved physical environments enhance health, create a sense of community and even have economic benefits. But let’s remember that we are also preventing
- [Protected Bike Lanes Could Bridge America’s Empathy Gap](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/protected-bike-lanes-could-bridge-americas-empathy-gap/): “The more that Americans opt out of interacting with each other … the greater the ‘empathy gap’ grows.” Ben Hecht, President and CEO of Living Cities, wrote this in a response to the findings of a study showing that the majority of U.S. public school children live in poverty. While his observation addressed education and

## Pages

- [Home](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/): Healthy Places by Design advances community-led action and proven, place-based strategies to ensure health and well-being for all. Launched in 2002 as Active Living by Design, our organization envisions a nation of healthy, equitable communities where everyone reaches their full potential.
- [Donate](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/donate/): Your generosity helps us support local leaders as they improve community conditions to ensure health and wellbeing for all. Healthy Places by Design is served by fiscal sponsor Third Sector New England, Inc. (TSNE). The payment will go to TSNE, a 501(c)(3) organization for deposit into Healthy Places by Design's account. Please contact our Executive
- [Who We Are](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/who-we-are/): Healthy Places by Design advances health equity and human rights through community partnerships.
- [Essential Resources for Socially Connected Communities](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/essential-resources-for-socially-connected-communities/): From Healthy Places by Design New Report Building Safe, Active, and Connected Communities for Youth and Young Adults: An Action Guide The places where people live, learn, and spend time together have a powerful impact on their health and wellbeing. When public places are both safe and welcoming, people are more likely to use them
- [Socially Connected Communities](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/socially-connected-communities/): We’re committed to partnering with you to ensure that every community is a healthy place by design.
- [Socially Connected Communities: Solutions for Social Isolation](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/socially-connected-communities-solutions-for-social-isolation/): Social isolation is not a personal choice or individual problem, but one that is rooted in community design, social norms, and systemic injustices. In recent decades, people in the United States and around the world have experienced soaring rates of social isolation, with profound impacts on health and well-being. Far from being a personal choice,
- [Communities In Action: Louisville, KY](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/communities-in-action-louisville-ky/): Thanks to community engagement and a commitment to sustainable thinking, more neighborhoods in Louisville, KY now have safe and affordable housing, access to healthy food, and convenient places to walk, bike, and play. Community members are attuned to the impact that education, employment, housing, transportation, and related issues have on their health. Some see rejection
- [Collaborative Learning Communities](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/collaborative-learning-communities/): Southwest (Bridgeport, Norwalk, Stamford) Connecticut The Southwest Connecticut coalition will develop and refine an outcome measurement system to better assess their cross-sector interventions aimed at improving health. The Stamford Vita Collaborative is a 2015 Roadmaps Action Awardee that has achieved tremendous results through the implementation of a robust strategy to promote community health and reduce
- [Communities In Action: Flint, MI](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/communities-in-action-flint-mi/): In a city striving for revitalization, one key asset had been long neglected: an extensive park system. Partners in Flint, MI, set out to make parks a local priority again by building community members' capacity through facilitative leadership. Population loss in Flint, MI, which was once an auto-industry boomtown, has left community members struggling from
- [Our Services](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/our-services/): Consulting and Advising Our decades of experience make us strategic and informed planning, implementation, and assessment partners. Healthy Places by Design has partnered with nonprofits, philanthropies, and other community organizations in more than 40 states to address complex social problems that impact population health. We've learned that authentic, community-led, and sustainable change not only takes
- [Our Work](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/our-work/): We’re committed to partnering with you to ensure that every community is a healthy place by design.
- [Communities In Action: Santa Ana, CA](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/communities-in-action-santa-ana-ca/): An innovative partnership in Santa Ana, CA is restoring open space so that residents can live safer and more active lives.
- [Communities In Action: Rancho Cucamonga, CA](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/communities-in-action-rancho-cucamonga-ca/): Socioeconomic differences and health disparities bisect Rancho Cucamonga, CA into two communities with distinct needs. Healthy RC, a city-community partnership, is working to bridge that divide through authentic community engagement. In Rancho Cucamonga, people of color represent a significant proportion of the residents, with Latinos comprising more than one-third. Socioeconomic differences and health disparities also
- [Communities In Action: New Orleans, LA](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/communities-in-action-new-orleans-la/): New Orleans, LA, has spent the last decade recovering from Hurricane Katrina. In a city of close-knit communities, part of that recovery included the addition of over 100 miles of bike lanes around schools. This success was driven by the KidsWalk Coalition and its commitment to strategic communication and a culture of learning. New Orleans,
- [Communities In Action: Jefferson County, AL](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/communities-in-action-jefferson-county-al/): Starting in 2010, leaders in Jefferson County, Alabama faced a series of sobering financial and environmental challenges that impacted their ability to deliver essential services to the region's most vulnerable people. Despite these challenges, ongoing collaboration and a spirit of flexible persistence have enabled the county to scale and sustain healthy community change. With nearly
- [Communities In Action: Hamilton County, OH](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/communities-in-action-hamilton-county-oh/): Since its launch in 2009, an initiative to make healthy living easier called WeTHRIVE! has grown into a “social movement” in Hamilton County, Ohio. What started with 50 people in three communities has expanded to more than 189,000 people throughout 19 communities. This still-growing movement is a result of sustainable thinking from the start.
- [Communities In Action: Denver, CO](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/communities-in-action-denver-co/): Intentional community engagement helped Denver, CO respond to the health needs of culturally diverse neighborhoods and make planning processes more community-led. In Southwest Denver, Colorado, community members of seven Latino neighborhoods are supported by community organizations to act on what most matters to them. It is a young community, with more than one in three
- [Communities In Action: Buffalo, NY](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/communities-in-action-buffalo-ny/): In 2003, high poverty rates and old infrastructure were affecting the health of community members in Buffalo, New York. A public-private initiative, led by Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus Inc., was launched to improve community health. Partnerships were born, community members were engaged, and sustainable impacts have since transformed the city. A commitment to healthy living
- [Community Collaboration](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/community-collaboration/): We’re committed to partnering with you to ensure that every community is a healthy place by design.
- [Healthy Neighborhoods Learning Collaborative](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/healthy-neighborhoods-fund-learning-collaborative-2/): The New York State Health Foundation (NYSHealth) and New York Community Trust (NYCT) launched the Healthy Neighborhoods initiative to address some of the underlying problems that have affected the health of New York State communities, and support them to become places that are healthier and more active. Through this initiative, NYSHealth is supporting six Healthy Neighborhoods Fund communities across the State.
- [Community Action Model](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/community-action-model/): The Community Action Model can be useful to community coalitions and local leaders seeking a collaborative approach to creating healthier places and to funders seeking a tested approach for local investments.
- [Essential Practices](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/essential-practices/): Healthy Places by Design believes six Essential Practices are critical for creating meaningful and sustained change in communities. These practices address who should be involved in an initiative and how community members and organizations can effectively collaborate for sustainable impact. The Essential Practices are not implementation steps; rather, they are interwoven within all stages of
- [3P Action Cycle](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/3p-action-cycle/): The 3P Action Cycle reflects a community change process that is intended to be iterative, and not necessarily linear. The process ensures intentionality about partnership, preparation, and progress strategies to change policies, systems, and environments for improved community health. Leaders of healthy community change initiatives can determine their own communities' strengths and weaknesses within each step
- [Community Context](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/community-context/): Community context plays a vital role in healthy communities work. Every community has its own culture, assets, history, and challenges on which to build. When funders, community leaders, and partnerships fully recognize and understand these unique community settings, it helps direct strategies and tactics to better align with and leverage various dynamics at play. Recognizing, honoring,
- [Donor Dashboard](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/donor-dashboard/)
- [Our History](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/our-history/): When we launched in 2002 as Active Living by Design, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, we were at the forefront of the “active living movement,” a new paradigm that contributed to a multi-sector understanding of health. This new approach asked how individuals’ choices were being affected by external forces.
- [What's New](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/whats-new/): In Communities Alamance Wellness Summit Celebrates 10 Years of Community Impact More than 120 local leaders and community members gathered recently to mark ten years since the formation of the Alamance Wellness Collaborative. The AWC was launched in 2015 in response to the need to break down silos and build collaboration across the county. Since
- [Contact Us](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/contact/): Contact Active Living By Design for more information about how we can help your community projects, or how you can get involved through funding and support.
- [Donation Confirmation](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/donation-confirmation/)
- [Policies and Practices](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/policies-and-practices/): Our Policies: Privacy Policy and Terms of Use: We welcome visitors to the Healthy Places by Design's site at www.healthyplacesbydesign.org (the "Site"). We respect your privacy and confidentiality. As a fiscally sponsored organization of Third Sector New England, Inc. dba TSNE, we follow its Privacy Policy and Terms of Use Notices: Privacy Policy Terms of
- [Donation Failed](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/donation-failed/): We're sorry, your donation failed to process. Please try again or contact site support.
- [Cultivating Healthy Communities Resources](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/cultivating-healthy-communities-resources/): Aetna Foundation The Cultivating Healthy Communities (CHC) Peer Learning Network is a support for current and former Aetna Foundation grantees to learn and build capacity in order to better serve their communities. It provides grantees with opportunities to share about their healthy community work, hear from subject-matter resource people and other CHC peers and discuss
- [Action Acceleration Learning Series](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/learning-exchange-resources/): The Roadmaps Action Acceleration Learning Series highlights stories of how communities across the country are advancing local efforts toward building a Culture of Health. You'll learn from their experiences about successful strategies and key lessons learned across a variety of health factor areas and topics, such as authentic community engagement, community assessment and evaluation, strategic
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- [Blog](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/blog/)
- [Annual Reports](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/annual-reports/): 2019 Embracing a culture of learning is an essential practice for change makers and for our team. We believe our impact depends upon our willingness to check our internal assumptions, biases, and patterns, and to stay curious and open to new perspectives. In 2019, we leaned into our growing edge, building on strategic changes we made
- [Annual Report 2019](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/annual-report-2019/): Executive Letter Embracing a culture of learning is an essential practice for change makers and for our team. We believe our impact depends upon our willingness to check our internal assumptions, biases, and patterns, and to stay curious and open to new perspectives. In 2019, we leaned into our growing edge, building on strategic changes
- [Annual Report 2018](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/annual-report-2018/): Executive Letter In 2018, our team put everything on the table. Internally, we reflected on conversations with funders, community leaders, and other partners about our work. We wrestled with difficult questions about how to best create health and wellbeing for all people. We re-examined our mission, our vision, our name, and our goals. We then
- [Roadmaps to Health Action Awards](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/roadmaps-to-health-action-awards/): Resources and Information The Roadmaps to Health Action Awards were designed to accelerate or advance efforts to improve health by strengthening the capacity of community members and leaders to make effective and lasting change. Twenty Action Awards recipients received coordinated support and services through: Direct, customized support from a Roadmaps to Health community coach for up to one year to support their
- [Action Acceleration and Collaborative Learning](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/roadmaps-action-acceleration-and-collaborative-learning/): The Action Acceleration and Collaborative Learning initiative supports the advancement of a Culture of Health through targeted activities and leveraged resources that help communities make effective and lasting change. The Action Acceleration and Collaborative Learning components build from previous or current Roadmaps to Health Action Center coaching. The Action Acceleration funding pathway supports the advancement
- [Sustainability](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/healthy-neighborhoods-fund-sustainability/): Healthy Places by Design’s Sustainability Framework Partnership and Leadership Sustainability Strategies The Snowflake leadership and community activation model, pages 26-28. Shared by the Niagara Falls partners. Race to Justice, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s internal reform process for strategic and shared goal setting around advancing racial equity and social justice,
- [Communications](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/communications/): Resources The 27-9-3 persuasive messaging tool will help you develop an effective "elevator pitch" for your work.
- [Community Engagement](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/healthy-neighborhoods-fund-community-engagement/): Resources Canva is a free graphic design resource. Shared by the Hunts Point partners. The People’s Supper approach to sharing meaningful stories, good food, and a sense of community. Shared by the Claremont partners. The Snowflake leadership and community activation model, pages 26-28. Shared by the Niagara Falls partners. June 1, 2016 Healthy Neighborhoods partners
- [March 2016 Convening, Chapel Hill, NC](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/march-2016-action-awards-convening/): Roadmaps to Health Action Awards Convenings Action Awards Convening | March 2-3, 2016 | Chapel Hill, NC This dynamic, interactive convening of Action Awards teams and other partners connected and empowered community leaders who are working to transform health in their communities. The convening provided opportunities for: Networking, collaborative learning and relationship building among community
- [Resources](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/all-resources/)
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- [Action Acceleration Communities](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/action-acceleration-communities/): Sitka, Alaska Sitka is a remote island community whose population is dissected by great disparities across income, opportunity, health, class, and race. One example of the impact of these disparities is inequitable access to afterschool and extracurricular activities for high school students. As part of its broader health improvement efforts, the Sitka Health Summit Coalition
- [Peacemaking and Restorative Justice](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/healthy-neighborhoods-fund-peacemaking-and-restorative-justice/): February 15, 2017 This session provided a platform for Healthy Neighborhoods partners to engage in purposeful and meaningful sharing, learning, and brainstorming related to peacemaking. Peacemaking is a traditional Native American approach to achieve community-based restorative justice. The approach differs from other legal processes—rather than assigning “right” and “wrong,” it strives for consensus. Participants learned about the
- [Partnering with Healthcare to Advance Place-Based Work](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/healthy-neighborhoods-fund-partnering-with-healthcare-to-advance-place-based-work/): March 1, 2017 This session focused on increasing healthcare agencies' involvement in strategies that address social determinants of health (SDOH). More recently, health systems have recognized the importance of addressing underlying determinants of health in order to improve well-being for all individuals in a community. Participants learned about this trend and gained insights from work with communities in
- [Parks](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/health-neighborhoods-fund-parks/): May 26, 2016 This session focused on sharing ideas and strategies for activating parks, open spaces and other public places. Participants learned about the annual “Hike The Heights” community mobilization event in the Washington Heights neighborhood. Session Slides Resources Shared and Action Steps
- [Healthy Markets](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/healthy-neighborhoods-fund-healthy-markets/): June 8, 2016 Results from a survey of Healthy Neighborhoods sites about incentive programs for healthy markets were shared during this session. This helped deepen conversations around successful strategies to distribute, track and encourage use of incentives, and other healthy market sub-topics of interest. Session Slides Resources Shared and Action Steps Double Up Food Bucks
- [Healthy Food Retail](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/healthy-neighborhoods-fund-healthy-food-retail/): March 8, 2017 During this session, Healthy Neighborhoods partners engaged in meaningful sharing and learning about making healthy and affordable foods accessible in retail settings. Session Slides Resources Shared and Action Steps May 26, 2016 Partnerships with food retailers are important to make healthy and affordable foods accessible to residents. Strategies to engage store owners, youth,
- [Evaluation](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/healthy-neighborhoods-fund-evaluation/): May 24, 2017 During this session, Healthy Neighborhoods partners explored seven key findings from the first year of the initiative related to time, collaboration, resident engagement, leadership, staffing, and programs. Paul Tainsh, Senior Evaluator with the NYU Evaluation team, also shared preliminary findings about transformations around healthy food access, physical activity opportunities, safety, and healthy living
- [Active Transportation](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/healthy-neighborhoods-fund-active-transportation/): Walking paths/trails, bike lanes and wayfinding signs are common strategies and hot topics of discussions across Healthy Neighborhoods sites. The Active Transportation virtual session enabled participants to further explore solutions and actions to increase walking and biking in their neighborhoods, and hear about the community walking trail being developed in East Harlem. Session Slides Resources
- [HKHC: Buffalo, New York](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/buffalo-new-york/): 2017 Communities in Action Example: In 2003, high poverty rates and old infrastructure were affecting the health of residents in Buffalo, New York. A public–private initiative, led by Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus Inc., was launched to improve community health. Partnerships were born, community members were engaged, and sustainable impacts have since transformed the city. For
- [HKHC: Watsonville-Pajaro Valley, California](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/watsonville-pajaro-valley-california/): 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: Jóvenes SANOS, a youth leadership and advocacy group in Watsonville-Pajaro Valley, prepared grassroots advocates by combining advance training and real-time opportunities for youth to advocate for equitable and culturally relevant healthy eating options in Watsonville and Santa Cruz, and the Greater Watsonville Master Bike Plan. The Jóvenes SANOS leaders
- [HKHC: Washington, DC](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/washington-dc-2/): 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: The Summit Health Institute for Research and Education (SHIRE) contracted with DC Hunger Solutions to advocate for increased funding for after-school meals and with Groundwork Anacostia River DC to advocate for funding of a Park Rangers pilot program. SHIRE supported partners to attend national Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities grantee
- [HKHC: Spartanburg County, South Carolina](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/spartanburg-county-south-carolina/): 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: The departure of a key champion in the City of Woodruff (Spartanburg County) and subsequent dynamics made it difficult to gain agreements from all property owners along a proposed and popular greenway project, forcing the return of an important grant. Some partners regrouped and found two other sources of
- [HKHC: Somerville, Massachusetts](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/somerville-massachusetts/): 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: Shape Up Somerville pursued greater engagement of immigrants and youth by creating structured initiatives with established community partners who serve these groups, and by supporting them with contracts to support their time and help build their capacity. In addition to accomplishing its engagement goals, this approach resulted in increased
- [HKHC: Seattle & King County, Washington](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/seattle-king-county-washington/): 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: Two housing authorities in King County and Seattle worked to promote cross-cultural exchange among residents and addressed necessary social and cultural factors that influence behavior, such as traditional prohibitions of Muslim women to exercise in front of men. For more information, read the full story. November 2013 Seattle and the
- [HKHC: San Antonio, Texas](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/san-antonio-texas/): 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: The San Antonio Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities partnership piloted Healthy Hubs, an integrated, multi-pronged strategy to leverage impact and create healthy community change. Learning from the mixed success of early neighborhood pilots, it continues to use a neighborhood and community-school partnership approach in which 10 neighborhood initiatives are supported
- [HKHC: Rochester, New York](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/rochester-new-york/): 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: Collaborative strategic planning helped shape Rochester’s Healthi Kids initiative and proactive, sustained communication advanced its policy campaigns. The partnership intentionally created multiple avenues for honest and constructive exchange with residents and partners, used a student-made video and an equity frame to motivate parents and policy makers to improve school
- [HKHC: Rancho Cucamonga, California](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/rancho-cucamonga-california/): 2013 Excerpt from Communities in Action: Socioeconomic differences and health disparities bisect Rancho Cucamonga, CA into two communities with distinct needs. Healthy RC, a city–community partnership, is working to bridge that divide through authentic community engagement. For more information, read the full story. 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: The City of Rancho Cucamonga has institutionalized
- [HKHC: Portland & Multnomah County, Oregon](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/portland-multnomah-county-oregon/): 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: Healthy Active Communities in Portland addressed creative tension in its efforts to improve low-income, multi-family housing developments and prevent childhood obesity in East Portland by addressing other health issues (such as asthma) and resident concerns where feasible. It chose to advance educational approaches to healthy housing over regulatory ones
- [HKHC: Phoenix, Arizona](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/phoenix-arizona/): 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: The Maryvale on the Move initiative in Phoenix worked energetically and persistently to engage, prepare and involve low-income residents through training, assessments and a variety of real-time opportunities to collaborate with professionals and advocate for change. It produced solid health-equity results across an array of strategies by removing barriers
- [HKHC: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/philadelphia-pennsylvania/): July 2014 It’s the same one-two punch that had hit many urban settings. Yet in the nation’s sixth biggest city, the combination of an often unsafe environment for physical activity and limited access to healthy food led to a real public health crisis. By 2008, almost half of Philadelphia’s children were overweight or obese. The
- [HKHC: Omaha, Nebraska](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/omaha-nebraska/): 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: Live Well Omaha’s (LWO) relationship building with new partners brought vital sources of energy and diverse perspectives that enabled it to evolve as a collaborative. Underlying the strong organizational ties were trusting, reciprocal bonds among key individuals who worked closely together. Over time, LWO also developed mutually supportive relationships
- [HKHC: Oakland, California](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/oakland-california/): 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: In Oakland, pilot testing and scaling of weekly, school-based produce markets in food desert neighborhoods helped inform and support a larger systems change within the public schools and the community. For more information, read the full story. November 2013 In Oakland, CA, the Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities project focused on
- [HKHC: New Orleans, Louisiana](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/new-orleans-louisiana/): 2016 Excerpt from Communities in Action: New Orleans, LA, has spent the last decade recovering from Hurricane Katrina. In a city of close-knit neighborhoods, part of that recovery was the addition of over 100 miles of bike lanes around local schools. This success was driven by the KidsWalk Coalition and its commitment to strategic communication
- [HKHC: Moore & Montgomery Counties, North Carolina](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/moore-montgomery-counties-north-carolina/): 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: The Moore and Montgomery counties HKHC project worked on an array of complex healthy eating, active living challenges and environments in order to influence the thinking of advocates and decision makers and achieve large-scale impacts over time. For more information, read the full story. July 2014 The beauty of gentle,
- [HKHC: Milwaukee, Wisconsin](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/milwaukee-wisconsin/): 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: Led by United Neighborhood Centers of Milwaukee (UNCOM), the Milwaukee Childhood Obesity Prevention Project shared resources intentionally to build capacity and momentum toward its goals. It funded 10 demonstration projects in partnering agencies and invited partners to participate in listening sessions, recognition ceremonies and community-wide physical activity events. UNCOM
- [HKHC: Milledgeville, Georgia](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/milledgeville-georgia/): July 2014 From 1804 to 1868, Milledgeville proudly served as Georgia’s capital. Many remnants of that era, such as the Old Governor’s Mansion, can still be seen today. Far less grand, however, are some of the signs of modern times—a community divided by major state highways, unemployment and deteriorating neighborhoods. Increasing poverty has sapped the
- [HKHC: Louisville, Kentucky](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/louisville-kentucky/): 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: Youth became a critical part of healthy community advocacy efforts in Louisville. Youth from several neighborhoods used surveys, Photovoice and digital storytelling to advocate for change with metro council members and city officials. Working with the local YMCA, they launched Metro Youth Advocates (MYA). Youth contributed to the establishment
- [HKHC: Knox County, Tennessee](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/knox-county-tennessee/): 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: Knox County HKHC created opportunities for residents who emigrated from Burundi to share their eating traditions with African-American and Latino residents to build social ties and help address cultural misunderstandings in a neighborhood experiencing ethnic transition. It arranged access to a vacant gymnasium for the children of Guatemalan residents
- [HKHC: Kingston, New York](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/kingston-new-york/): 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: The Healthy Kids for Kingston partnership managed tensions related to differing individual and organizational interests by creating an advisory network, focusing on co-creating a vision and collaborating with residents in more focused and meaningful ways. This generated more room for participants to engage in hands-on, program-oriented opportunities and encouraged
- [HKHC: Kansas City, Kansas/Missouri](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/kansas-city-kansasmissouri/): 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: Kansas City’s regional Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities partnership supported neighborhood-based initiatives to achieve and follow through on policy change. As an example, the Rosedale community enhanced the potential of its Green Corridor Master Plan through a combination of follow-up projects, advocacy and constituency building efforts that have generated greater
- [HKHC: Kane County, Illinois](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/kane-county-illinois/): 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: Kane County branded its integrated suite of health-oriented, long-range plans as “Quality of Kane” and used terms such as “promise,” “prosperity,” “quality of life” and “for everyone.” It successfully promoted Illinois’ Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program redemption at new farmers’ markets and a farmland protection ordinance for rural economic development
- [HKHC: Jefferson County, Alabama](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/jefferson-county-alabama/): 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: Despite hard economic times, county bankruptcy and a state takeover of the public school system, the Health Action Partnership (HAP) in Jefferson County seized the opportunity generated by a Communities Putting Prevention to Work grant to hire new staff, restructure to formalize the roles of its members and create
- [HKHC: Jacksonville, Florida](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/jacksonville-florida/): November 2013 Health Zone One: It is the urban core of Jacksonville, an area where 40 percent of children struggle in poverty and 100 percent of residents live in distressed neighborhoods. It is a place where crime is high, traffic is fast and heavy, and many children risk their safety simply by walking to school.
- [HKHC: Jackson, Mississippi](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/jackson-mississippi/): July 2014 The City with Soul, as Jackson is known, is steeped in a rich heritage of food, music and southern hospitality and is situated along the slow-moving Pearl River, creating a distinct sense of place in Mississippi’s biggest city. However, the city also has another, less inviting distinction. As of 2012, Jackson, along with
- [HKHC: Houston, Texas](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/houston-tx/): November 2013 Since 2005, when Houston, TX was named the Fattest City in America by Men’s Fitness, top officials have been on a mission to promote wellness among all residents. This is a formidable task. Houston is the fourth largest city in the country. Its two million-plus residents represent a diverse mix of ethnicities, races
- [HKHC: Houghton County, Michigan](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/houghton-county-michigan/): 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: The Copper Country Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities partnership in Houghton County built support among residents and elected officials for a Complete Streets ordinance and other active transportation projects by focusing on livability, economic development, health, safety and future funding opportunities from the Michigan Department of Transportation. For more information, read
- [HKHC: Hamilton County, Ohio](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/hamilton-county-ohio/): 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: The We THRIVE! initiative in Hamilton County supported a broad-based shift from individual-focused public health messages and programs to a healthy community approach that addressed environments, policies and systems (PSE). It helped resident leaders, professionals, elected officials and other stakeholders understand their role and engage in a new movement
- [HKHC: Greenville, South Carolina](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/greenville-sc/): 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: As part of a rebranding process, LiveWell Greenville (LWG) held a retreat with diverse stakeholders to develop a strategic action plan for the county. LWG conducted multidirectional communication across eight work groups, provided strategy-specific capacity-building training to community members and stakeholders, and communicated progress through a website, social media
- [HKHC: Greenacres, Lake Worth, and Palm Springs, Florida](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/greenacres-lake-worth-and-palm-springs-florida/): July 2014 While Palm Beach boasts sparkling white beaches, beautiful hotels and mansions of some of the rich and famous, a drive just a few miles west quickly revealed that it was no longer a tourist’s postcard world. Affluence and privilege disappeared and scenic views were replaced by compromised communities that suffered from a variety
- [HKHC: Grant County, New Mexico](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/grant-county-new-mexico/): July 2014 For all the sweeping natural beauty of Grant County—majestic mountains, fragrant pine forests, high desert grasslands—there is also the triple challenge of poverty, isolation and infrastructure. The county covers 3,900 square miles, yet its population is under 30,000. Nearly half of all residents live in small rural communities that are distant from the
- [HKHC: Flint, Michigan](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/flint-michigan/): 2016 Excerpt from Communities in Action: In a city striving for revitalization, one key asset had been long neglected: an extensive park system. Partners in Flint, MI, set out to make parks a local priority again by building residents’ capacity through facilitative leadership. For more information, read the full story. 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders:
- [HKHC: Fitchburg, Massachusetts](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/fitchburg-massachusetts/): 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: Fun ’n FITchburg capitalized on Fitchburg’s diversity by creating the 50-member Community Mobilization Network. It trained and involved eight youth peer leaders from three low-income priority neighborhoods and trained and paid bilingual, bicultural adult resident mobilizers to increase participation in public housing and low-income neighborhoods. Their work on the
- [HKHC: El Paso, Texas](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/el-paso-texas/): 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: The HKHC El Paso partnership confronted barriers to residents’ use of the Chamizal National Park because the dark green park ranger uniforms looked like those worn by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. For more information, read the full story. November 2013 El Paso is located along the U.S.-Mexico border, a
- [HKHC: Edgecombe & Nash Counties, North Carolina](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/edgecombe-nash-counties-north-carolina/): 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: While remaining consistent with its mission, the Down East Partnership for Children in Nash and Edgecombe counties shifted the frame of its work from educational and social supports for young children and their families to healthy communities. It used established networks and approaches to introduce new ideas about healthy
- [HKHC: Desoto, Marshall, and Tate Counties, Mississippi](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/desoto-marshall-and-tate-counties-mississippi/): 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: Facilitated by the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi, the Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities (HKHC) partnership in Northwest Mississippi developed leadership and capacity in Desoto, Marshall and Tate counties. It established diverse partnerships in each county, and provided timely and customized seminars, trainings and technical assistance for various types of
- [HKHC: Denver, Colorado](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/denver-colorado/): 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: Through a diverse array of assessment projects and deployment of 10 promotoras, Denver’s Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities partnership trained emerging resident leaders, built new networks of relationships, increased meeting attendance and participation, and unearthed new problem-solving methods. Efforts to support inclusive decision making and build relationships with agency partners
- [HKHC: Cuba, New Mexico](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/cuba-new-mexico/): 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: The Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities partnership in Cuba addressed the Navajo community’s interest in greater self-determination and economic development as it adjusted its approach to developing a mobile farmers’ market for the tri-chapter communities. For more information, read the full story. July 2014 In Cuba, NM, the natural environment offers
- [HKHC: Cook County, Georgia](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/cook-county-georgia/): July 2014 Fertile soil, a warm climate and a rich agricultural heritage define rural Cook County. Its farmers grow an array of fruits and vegetables, from greens, squash, beans and tomatoes, to peaches, berries, cantaloupes and watermelons. And its people share an appreciation for the importance and tradition of farming—an appreciation that plays a key
- [HKHC: Columbia, Missouri](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/columbia-missouri/): 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: The Unite 4 Healthy Neighborhoods partnership in Columbia addressed significant creative tension around issues of race and class by slowing down its timeline and investing in greater community engagement, cultural competency, strategic relationship building, youth advocacy and leadership development. For more information, read the full story. July 2014 Columbia is
- [HKHC: Chicago, Illinois](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/chicago-illinois/): 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: Chicago’s Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities partnership effectively used pilot testing to implement pedestrian safety improvements as part of a Safe Routes to Parks initiative in Humboldt Park and to institutionalize healthy-snack vending in the Chicago Park District. For more information, read the full story. July 2014 Chicago is the nation's
- [HKHC: Chattanooga, Tennessee](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/chattanooga-tennessee/): 2014 Excerpts from Lessons for Leaders: In Chattanooga, Step ONE facilitated a healthy community partnership named Grow Healthy Together Chattanooga with the purpose of including and lifting the voices of more community members and leaders in the East and South Chattanooga communities. Strong facilitative leadership from staff and technical assistance from partners helped to establish
- [HKHC: Charleston, West Virginia](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/charleston-west-virginia/): 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: In Chattanooga, Step ONE facilitated a healthy community partnership named Grow Healthy Together Chattanooga with the purpose of including and lifting the voices of more community members and leaders in the East and South Chattanooga communities. Strong facilitative leadership from staff and technical assistance from partners helped to establish
- [HKHC: Central Valley, California](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/central-valley-california/): July 2014 The 240-mile long San Joaquin Valley is a major agricultural region encompassing eight counties (Kern, Kings, Tulare, Fresno, Madera, Merced, Stanislaus, and San Joaquin) in central California. However, residents, many of them migrant workers, are often unable to enjoy the abundance of food grown all around them. People here have among the lowest
- [HKHC: Caguas, Puerto Rico](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/caguas-puerto-rico/): July 2014 Caguas sits in a valley nearly surrounded by mountains, just 20 miles south of Puerto Rico’s capital of San Juan. Historically, many people in the island’s fifth largest municipality worked in agriculture, especially sugar production. But recent years have seen a dramatic migration from farms and rural communities to urban areas without, unfortunately,
- [HKHC: Boone and Newton Counties, Arkansas](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/boone-and-newton-counties-arkansas/): July 2014 Boone and Newton Counties occupy more than 1,400 square miles of northwestern Arkansas, from the northern slopes of the Ozark Mountains to the Missouri border. Almost a quarter of the population lives in Harrison—a city of about 12,000 in Boone County—but most people live in small towns or are scattered throughout the rural,
- [HKHC: Baldwin Park, California](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/baldwin-park-california/): 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: Baldwin Park moved beyond an informed community engagement model to authentic collaboration and sustainable resident empowerment through People on the Move, a multilingual, multicultural initiative that trains resident leaders to become content experts and to shepherd each healthy community strategy and/or policy from inception to implementation. As a result,
- [HKHC: Benton County, Oregon](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/benton-county-oregon/): 2014 Excerpt from Lessons for Leaders: Benton County’s Creciendo en Salud (CeS) initiative, which translates to “growing in health,” improved engagement of low-income and Latino residents by creating a Health Equity Alliance. The health department established a network of county-funded health navigators who provide leadership training and advocacy opportunities for disenfranchised residents. Their experience led
- [Lessons for Leaders](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/lessons-for-leaders/): Active Living By Design (ALBD) created this free resource for leaders of local, healthy community partnerships to bring healthy food and active living to healthy communities.
- [Investing in Healthy Community Change](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/investing-in-healthy-community-change/): This new resource offers a range of ideas that challenge business as usual, explores lessons learned about investing in healthy community change, and helps funders of all sizes leverage their investments, achieve their goals and sustain their results. Active Living By Design produced this resource from its unique perspective on placed-based healthy community grantmaking and collaboration, having served for more than 12 years as a bridge between dozens of funders and more than 160 community coalitions.
- [Community Engagement Virtual Networking Session](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/community-engagement/): Roadmaps to Health Action Awards Virtual Networking Sessions Community Engagement Resources Active Living By Design (ALBD) hosted a virtual session on December 16, 2015 to support Action Awards team members in networking and learning on the topic of community engagement. The session included the sharing of resources from Action Awards teams, the Roadmaps to Health Action Center
- [Data, Measurement and Evaluation Virtual Networking Sessions](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/data-measurement-and-evaluation/): Roadmaps to Health Action Awards Virtual Networking Sessions Data, Measurement and Evaluation Resources Two virtual sessions were held on November 18 and December 7, 2015 which provided opportunities for Action Awards team members to engage in focused networking and learning on the topic of data, measurement and evaluation. The sessions included the sharing of resources from Action
- [October 2015 Networking Meeting, Princeton, NJ](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/october-2015-networking-meeting/): Roadmaps to Health Action Awards Convenings Networking Meeting | October 28, 2015 | Princeton, New Jersey Roadmaps to Health Action Awards partners attended the 2015 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Culture of Health Prize Celebration & Learning Event, which was held on October 28, 2015 in Princeton, New Jersey. The event provided opportunities to learn
- [Growing a Movement](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Growing-a-Movement.pdf): This report provides an overview of the Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities national program, which increases children's access to healthy foods, physical activity, and healthy communities.
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## Events

- [Exploring the Intersection of Civic, Social, and Community Health](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/event/exploring-the-intersection-of-civic-social-and-community-health/): Join us for an insightful webinar delving into the interplay between civic engagement, social cohesion, and community well-being. Explore how fostering civic participation and nurturing social ties can profoundly impact the health of our communities. Gain valuable insights and strategies to cultivate a healthier and more connected society for all. Register here to join the

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## Resources

- [Communities on the Move: Improving Active Living in Rural North Carolina](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/communities-on-the-move-improving-active-living-in-rural-north-carolina/): The Fit Together Grant Program was established to support five rural North Carolina community partnerships to improve community health and increase physical activity utilizing Active Living By Design’s Community Action Model.
- [Fit Community Case Studies](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/fit-community-case-studies/): These case studies summarize the Fit Community initiative, an innovative program that helped generate changes in policies and environments in municipalities and counties across North Carolina between 2006 and 2012.
- [Rancho Cucamonga, CA: Community Capacity Building Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/rancho-cucamonga-ca-community-capacity-building-example/): The City of Rancho Cucamonga, CA has institutionalized its Healthy RC initiative within the City Manager’s office with three facilitative outreach staff. Healthy RC has connected City leaders and officials to local, regional and national networks, and provided capacity building training and resources to stakeholders, including residents. It provides direct opportunities for open dialogue and
- [Desoto, Marshall and Tate Counties, MS: Community Capacity Building Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/desoto-marshall-and-tate-counties-ms-community-capacity-building-example/): Facilitated by the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi (CFNWMS), the HKHC partnership in Northwest Mississippi developed leadership and capacity in Desoto, Marshall and Tate counties. It established diverse partnerships in each county, provided timely and customized seminars, trainings, and technical assistance for various types of constituencies as part of a regional learning network. HKHC also
- [Chattanooga, TN: Community Capacity Building Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/chattanooga-tn-community-capacity-building-example/): In Chattanooga, TN, a healthy community partnership renamed Grow Healthy Together Chattanooga (GTHC) was restructured to include and lift the voices of more community members and leaders in the Eastside and Southside communities. Strong facilitative leadership from staff helped to establish and provide varied training to Leadership Advisory Councils advancing resident priorities in each of the
- [Buffalo, NY: Community Capacity Building Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/buffalo-ny-community-capacity-building-example/): The Buffalo HKHC partnership has used a variety of methods to strengthen its relationships with City staff and community members. Some include: engaging them in direct experiences in the community; producing quality assessments and policy briefs that help them do their work; using targeted sessions and tours at policy summits; helping train community members to
- [Omaha, NE: Community Capacity Building Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/omaha-ne-community-capacity-building-example/): Live Well Omaha’s (LWO) relationship building with new partners, brought vital sources of energy and diverse perspectives that challenged it to evolve as a collaborative. Underlying the strong organizational relationships were trusting, reciprocal bonds among key individuals who collaborated closely. Over time, LWO also developed mutually supportive relationships with funders and leveraged meaningful relationships with
- [Knox County, TN: Community Capacity Building Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/knox-county-tn-community-capacity-building-example/): Knox County HKHC created opportunities for Burundi residents to share their eating traditions with African American and Latino residents in order to build social ties and help address cultural misunderstanding in a neighborhood in ethnic transition. It arranged access to a vacant gymnasium for the children of Guatemalan residents in order to build trust. When
- [Spartanburg, SC: Community Capacity Building Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/spartanburg-sc-community-capacity-building-example/): In the community of Woodruff in Spartanburg County, SC, the departure of an important champion in City government and subsequent dynamics made it difficult to get agreements from all the property owners along a proposed and popular greenway project, and forced the return of an important grant. Elements of the partnership regrouped and found two other
- [Jefferson County, AL: Community Capacity Building Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/jefferson-county-al-community-capacity-building-example/): Despite hard economic times, county bankruptcy and a state takeover of the public school system, the Health Action Partnership (HAP) in Jefferson County, AL seized the opportunity provided by a Communities Putting Prevention to Work grant to hire new staff, restructure and formalize the roles of its members, and create a new framework to help
- [Somerville, MA: Community Capacity Building Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/somerville-ma-community-capacity-building-example/): Shape Up Somerville (SUS) pursued greater engagement of immigrants and youth by creating structured initiatives with established community partners who serve these groups and supporting them with contracts. In addition to accomplishing its engagement goals, it increased support for a mobile farmers’ market, created a health and civic engagement ESL curriculum, improved park design and
- [Benton County, OR: Community Capacity Building Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/benton-county-or-community-capacity-building-example/): Benton County, Oregon’s “Creciendo en Salud” (CeS) initiative, which translates as “growing in health”, improved engagement of low income and Latino residents by creating a Health Equity Alliance. It established a network of county-funded Health Navigators who provide leadership training and advocacy opportunities for disenfranchised residents. It helped the Corvallis City Council’s Public Participation Task
- [Denver, CO: Community Capacity Building Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/denver-co-community-capacity-building-example/): Through a diverse array of assessment projects and deployment of ten “promotoras”, Denver’s HKHC partnership was able to train emerging resident leaders, build new networks of relationships, increase meeting attendance and participation, and unearth new problem-solving methods. Efforts to support inclusive decision making and build relationships with agency partners, secured powerful results in its Southwest
- [Charleston, WV: Community Capacity Building Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/charleston-wv-community-capacity-building-example/): Partners in the KEYS for Healthy Kids (KEYS) initiative in Charleston, WV conducted a variety of assessment activities that ultimately built a deeper understanding of health issues among community members and leaders, sparked a public dialogue about obesity beyond it solely being a “medical” concern, and developed new skills and confidence among youth. The KEYS
- [Milwaukee , WI: Community Capacity Building Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/milwaukee-wi-community-capacity-building-example/): Led by United Neighborhood Centers of Milwaukee (UNCOM), the Milwaukee Childhood Obesity Prevention Project shared resources intentionally to build capacity and momentum toward its goals. It funded 10 demonstration projects in partnering agencies and invited partners to participate in listening sessions, recognition ceremonies and community-wide physical activity events. UNCOM shared grant funding with the Next
- [Washington, DC: Community Capacity Building Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/washington-dc-community-capacity-building-example/): The Summit Health Institute for Research and Education (SHIRE) contracted with DC Hunger Solutions to advocate for increased funding for after-school meals and with Groundwork Anacostia River DC to advocate for funding of a Park Rangers pilot program. SHIRE supported partners to attend national Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities grantee meetings and provided scholarships for Ward
- [Rochester, NY: Communications Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/rochester-ny-communications-example/): Rochester, NY’s Healthy Kids initiative was shaped by collaborative strategic planning and used proactive, sustained strategic communication to advance its policy campaigns. It intentionally created multiple avenues for honest and constructive exchange with residents and partners, used a student-created video and an equity frame to motivate parents and policy makers to improve school food across
- [Greenville, SC: Communications Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/greenville-sc-communications-example/): As part of a rebranding process, LiveWell Greenville (LWG), involved diverse stakeholders in a retreat to develop a strategic action plan for the county. It conducted multidirectional communication across eight work groups, provided strategy-specific capacity building training to participants, and communicated progress through a website, social media outlets, e-digests, presentations as well as more traditional
- [Kane County, IL: Communications Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/kane-county-il-communications-example/): Kane County, IL branded its integrated suite of health-oriented long range plans “Quality of Kane”, and used terms such as “promise”, “prosperity”, “quality of life” and “for everyone”. It successfully promoted both SNAP redemption at new farmers’ markets and a farmland protection ordinance as rural economic development opportunities. A flexible frame has helped Kane County
- [Houghton County, MI: Communications Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/houghton-county-mi-communications-example/): The Copper Country Health Kids, Healthy Communities partnership in Houghton County, MI built support among residents and elected officials for a Complete Streets ordinance and other active transportation projects by focusing on livability, economic development, health, safety and future funding opportunity from the Michigan Department of Transportation.
- [Nash-Edgecombe Counties, NC: Communications Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/nash-edgecombe-counties-nc-communications-example/): While remaining consistent with its mission, the Down East Partnership for Children (DEPC) in Nash-Edgecombe Counties, NC shifted and broadened the frame of its work from educational and social supports for young children and their families to a healthy communities frame. It utilized established networks and approaches to introduce new ideas about healthy policy and
- [Hamilton County, OH: Communications Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/hamilton-county-oh-communications-example/): The WeTHRIVE! Initiative in Hamilton County, OH supported a broad-based shift from individual-focused public health messages and programs to a healthy community approach that that addressed environmental, policy and systems (PSE). It helped resident leaders, professionals, elected officials and other stakeholders to understand their role and engage in a new movement for change by providing
- [Baldwin Park, CA: Community Engagement for Equity Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/baldwin-park-ca-community-engagement-for-equity-example/): Baldwin Park, CA moved beyond an “informed community engagement” model to authentic collaboration and sustainable resident empowerment through its highly successful People on the Move (POTM) initiative. POTM is a multilingual, multicultural initiative that trains resident leaders to become content experts and to shepherd each healthy community strategy and/or policy from inception to implementation.
- [Fitchburg, MA: Community Engagement for Equity Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/fitchburg-ma-community-engagement-for-equity-example/): The Fun ’n FITchburg (FnF) initiative capitalized on Fitchburg’s diversity by creating the 50-member Community Mobilization Network. It trained and involved eight youth “peer leaders” from three low-income priority neighborhoods, and trained and paid bilingual, bicultural adult “resident mobilizers” to increase participation in public housing and low-income neighborhoods. Their work on the city’s Adopt-A-Park program
- [Watsonville-Pajaro Valley, CA: Community Engagement for Equity Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/watsonville-pajaro-valley-ca-community-engagement-for-equity-example/): Jóvenes SANOS, a youth leadership and advocacy group in Watsonville-Pajaro Valley, California, prepared grassroots advocates by combining advance training and real-time opportunity for youth to advocate for equitable and culturally relevant healthy eating options policies in Watsonville and Santa Cruz, and the Greater Watsonville Master Bike Plan. The Jóvenes SANOS leaders have influenced adults and
- [Investing in Healthy Community Change](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/investing-in-healthy-community-change/): Active Living By Design has served for more than 12 years as a bridge between dozens of funders and more than 160 community coalitions and has a unique perspective on placed-based healthy community grantmaking and collaboration. This document offers a range of insights that challenge business as usual, and explores lessons learned about investing in
- [Louisville, KY: Community Engagement for Equity Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/louisville-ky-community-engagement-for-equity-example/): Youth became a critical part of healthy community advocacy efforts in Louisville. Youth from several neighborhoods used surveys, Photovoice and digital storytelling to advocate for change with metro council members and city officials. Working with the local YMCA, they launched Metro Youth Advocates (MYA). Youth contributed to the establishment of several Healthy in a Hurry
- [Columbia, MO: Community Engagement for Equity Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/columbia-mo-community-engagement-for-equity-example/): The Unite 4 Healthy Neighborhoods partnership in Columbia, MO addressed significant creative tension around issues of race and class by slowing down their timeline, investing in greater community engagement, cultural competency, strategic relationship building, youth advocacy and leadership development.
- [Kingston, NY: Community Engagement for Equity Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/kingston-ny-community-engagement-for-equity-example/): The Healthy Kids for Kingston (HKK) partnership managed tensions related to differing individual and organizational interests by creating an advisory network, focusing on co-creating a vision, and engaging residents in more focused and meaningful ways. It created more room for participants to engage in hands-on, program-oriented opportunities and encouraged partner self-restraint as community-based leadership asserted
- [Portland, OR: Community Engagement for Equity Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/portland-or-community-engagement-for-equity-example/): Healthy Active Communities (HAC) in Portland, OR addressed creative tension in its efforts to improve low income multi-family housing developments and prevent childhood obesity in East Portland by incorporating other health issues (e.g. asthma) and resident concerns where feasible. It chose to advance educational approaches to healthy housing over regulatory ones that might deter production
- [Central Valley, CA: Community Engagement for Equity Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/central-valley-ca-community-engagement-for-equity-example/): The Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Project (CCROP) built the capacity of its new immigrant population to advocate for community change, developed a region-wide network of strong leaders, and achieved significant equity results across an eight-county, rural region. Participants in a culturally, linguistically, and literacy-level appropriate community leadership training program put lessons into action as
- [Phoenix, AZ: Community Engagement for Equity Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/phoenix-az-community-engagement-for-equity-example/): The Maryvale on the Move initiative in Phoenix, Arizona, worked energetically and persistently to engage, prepare and involve low-income residents through training, assessment and a variety of real-time opportunities to collaborate with professionals and advocate for change. It produced solid, healthy equity results across an array of strategies by removing barriers to participation, lifting community
- [Cuba, NM: Advancing Policy/Systems Change Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/cuba-nm-advancing-policysystems-change-example/): The HKHC partnership in Cuba, New Mexico addressed social and cultural factors as they adjusted their approach to developing a mobile farmers’ market for the Navajo community
- [El Paso, TX: Advancing Policy/Systems Change Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/el-paso-tx-advancing-policysystems-change-example/): The HKHC El Paso, TX partnership confronted barriers to resident use of the Chamizal National Park, because the dark green park ranger uniforms bore an unfortunate resemblance to those worn by U.S. Customs and Border Protection Patrol.
- [King County/Seattle, WA: Advancing Policy/Systems Change Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/king-countyseattle-wa-advancing-policysystems-change-example/): Two housing authorities in King County and Seattle, WA worked to promote cross-cultural exchange among residents and addressed necessary social and cultural factors that influence behavior change.
- [Oakland, CA: Advancing Policy/Systems Change Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/oakland-ca-advancing-policysystems-change-example/): In Oakland, CA, pilot testing and scaling (to 22) of weekly, school-based produce markets in food desert neighborhoods helped to inform and support a larger systems change both within the public schools and the community
- [Chicago, IL: Advancing Policy/Systems Change Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/chicago-il-advancing-policysystems-change-example/): Chicago’s HKHC partnership effectively used pilot testing to implement pedestrian safety improvements as part of a Safe Routes to Parks initiative in Humboldt Park, and to institutionalize healthy snack vending in the Chicago Park District.
- [Flint, MI: Advancing Policy/Systems Change Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/flint-mi-advancing-policysystems-change-example/): The HKHC partnership in Flint, MI integrated many forms of evaluation into its project from the outset to improve access to quality parks. Results informed priorities and selection of pilot projects, validated effectiveness, guided implementation, and informed multiple local plans for the future
- [Kansas City, KS: Advancing Policy/Systems Change Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/kansas-city-ks-advancing-policysystems-change-example/): Kansas City’s regional HKHC partnership supported neighborhood-based initiatives to achieve and follow through on policy change. The Rosedale community enhanced the potential of its Green Corridor Master Plan through a combination of follow up projects, advocacy and constituency building efforts that has generated greater demand for active transportation, strong political momentum, and the kind of
- [New Orleans, LA: Advancing Policy/Systems Change Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/new-orleans-la-advancing-policysystems-change-example/): After helping to develop a Complete Streets policy in New Orleans, the KidsWalk Coalition and other advocacy groups joined a city advisory and oversight committee responsible for refining the guidelines for implementation. It also engaged new city staff and worked to maintain a critical mass of diverse advocates to ensure long-term follow through.
- [San Antonio, TX: Advancing Policy/Systems Change Example](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/san-antonio-tx-advancing-policysystems-change-example/): The San Antonio Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities partnership piloted an integrated, multi-strategy, Healthy Hubs approach to leveraging impact and creating healthy community change. Learning from mixed success of early neighborhood pilots, they continue to use a neighborhood and community-school partnership approach in which ten neighborhoods initiatives will be supported with full-time community organizers and minigrants.
- [Lessons for Leaders](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/lessons-for-leaders/): Since 2002, ALBD has gathered these lessons, principles and examples from a range of healthy community partnerships and their leaders. Themes in Lessons for Leaders include capacity building, communication, community engagement for equity, and advancing policy and systems change.
- [ALBD's Sustainability Framework](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/4408/): This document provides a framework for organizing conversations around sustaining successes related to healthy community initiatives. It includes social, environmental, policy, systems, and economic components. The framework is inspired by the triple bottom line approach (people, planet, profit) and modified to apply to community-based work. The tables in this framework should be read from left
- [Community Action Model](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/resources/growing-a-movement/): The Community Action Model highlights the importance of a community’s context, defines six essential practices that undergird success, and focuses the action approach to 3Ps: Partner, Prepare, and Progress. It also describes some expected impacts.

## Projects

- [Activating Boston Project](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/project/activating-boston-pilot-project/): Activating Boston Project 2022-Present Boston, MA Overview In Boston, John Hancock invested in accessible, age-inclusive outdoor spaces as a way to improve health, longevity, and wellbeing. In 2022, the City of Boston released a report on Heat Resilience Solutions for Boston, which highlighted five neighborhoods as priority areas. This heightened attention on the climate's impact
- [The Health Collaborative](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/project/danville-regional-foundation-health-collaborative-planning-and-technical-assistance/): Danville Regional Foundation 2014-Present Dan River Region, NC and VA Overview The Health Collaborative is a group of passionate, multi-sector community leaders who are committed to improving health in the Dan River Region, which includes Pittsylvania County, VA; Danville, VA; and Caswell County, NC. The Health Collaborative is working to build a strong network across
- [Healthy Fayette County Initiative](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/project/healthy-fayette-county-initiative/): Healthy Fayette County Initiative 2024-2025 Fayette County, Indiana Overview Founded in 2023, Healthy Fayette County (HFC) is a group of community members and local leaders who are committed to improving the health status of their community. This is no small challenge, as Fayette County has the second lowest life expectancy of the 92 counties
- [Healthiest Cities and Counties Challenge](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/project/healthiest-cities-and-counties-challenge/): Healthiest Cities and Counties Challenge 2020-2022 National Overview In 2020, Aetna Foundation, American Public Health Association (APHA), National Association of Counties (NACo), and Healthy Places by Design partnered to support 20 city- and county-level teams to advance health equity within their communities through the Healthiest Cities and Counties Challenge (HCCC). Teams included nonprofit organizations,
- [Healthy Neighborhoods Fund](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/project/new-york-state-health-foundation-healthy-neighborhoods-fund/): The New York State Health Foundation 2015-Present New York State Overview The New York State Health Foundation (NYSHealth) and New York Community Trust (NYCT) launched the Healthy Neighborhoods initiative to address some of the underlying problems that affect the health of New York State communities and to support them to become places that are healthier and more
- [Supporting Black Health through Socially Connected Communities](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/project/supporting-black-health-through-socially-connected-communities/): Supporting Black Health through Socially Connected Communities 2022-2024 Charlotte, NC Overview In Charlotte, North Carolina, three predominantly Black communities facing the pressures of gentrification began building social connection in ways that reclaim power and self-efficacy. Our Approach The Council on Black Health and Healthy Places by Design worked with community leaders from the Grier
- [Healthiest Cities & Counties Challenge](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/project/healthiest-cities-counties-challenge/): American Public Health Association and Aetna Foundation 2020-Present National Overview In 2020, American Public Health Association (APHA), Aetna Foundation, National Association of Counties (NACo), and Healthy Places by Design teamed up to support 20 city- and county-level teams in advancing health equity within their communities through the Healthiest Cities and Counties Challenge. The Challenge
- [Michigan Health Endowment Fund](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/project/michigan-health-endowment-fund/): Michigan Health Endowment Fund 2023-Present Michigan (statewide) Overview The Michigan Health Endowment Fund (Health Fund) engages with communities across Michigan to improve and address the underlying social determinants that influence health. The Health Fund recognizes that health leaders can also benefit from training on how to collaborate and make the most of their partnerships.
- [Supporting Social Connections in the Mat-Su Borough, Alaska](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/project/mat-su/): Mat-Su Health Foundation 2021 - 2023 Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK Overview The Mat-Su Health Foundation aims to make the Matanuska-Susitna the healthiest borough in Alaska. They recognize the importance of social connections as one of five protective factors and aim to create a more supportive, and welcoming community. They support Connect Mat-Su, a comprehensive health and social
- [Toss Out Tobacco: Building Capacity to Reduce Tobacco Inequities among African American Men in the Mississippi Delta River Region](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/project/toss-out-tobacco-building-capacity-to-reduce-tobacco-inequities-among-african-american-men-in-the-mississippi-delta-river-region/): Institute for the Advancement of Minority Health and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 2020-Present Mississippi Delta River Region Overview Toss Out Tobacco is an initiative led by the Institute for the Advancement of Minority Health and funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The goal of this two-year project is to reduce and prevent tobacco
- [Reinventing Impact: The Collaboration Lab](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/project/reinventing-impact-the-collaboration-lab/): Danville Regional Foundation 2020-Present Dan River Region, NC and VA Overview Building on the successes of the Health Collaborative, Healthy Places by Design, with Danville Regional Foundation and the Tamarack Institute, co-created a 10-month leadership curriculum called "Reinventing Impact: The Collaboration Lab". This curriculum uses evidence from the field of collaboration, and is an
- [Innovating, Catalyzing and Reimagining Health Equity in Communities](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/project/innovating-catalyzing-and-reimagining-health-equity-in-communities/): County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2021-2023 National Overview County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (CHR&R) is a collaboration between the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation with a primary goal of supporting community health improvement and accelerating action to advance health equity. The program uses data, evidence, guidance and
- [RWJF Culture of Health Prize](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/project/rwjfcohprize/): Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 2013-2021 National Overview For the past decade, the RWJF Culture of Health Prize has been made possible through a collaboration between the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The Prize honors and elevates U.S. communities working at the forefront of advancing health, equity, and
- [Building Resilient and Inclusive Communities (BRIC)](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/project/building-resilient-and-inclusive-communities-bric/): The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors 2020-Present National Overview Funded and coordinated by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD), Healthy Places by Design provides thought partnership, technical assistance, and peer learning for the Building
- [Walkability Action Institute and Walkability Virtual Academy](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/project/walkability-action-institute-and-walkability-virtual-academy/): The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors 2015-Present National Overview The Walkability Action Institute (WAI) and Walkability Virtual Academy (WVA) is an annual multi-day "course" for interdisciplinary teams comprising public health, transportation, planning, elected officials, and other disciplines. Healthy Places by Design participates as WAI/WVA faculty and
- [Alamance Wellness Collaborative](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/project/alamance-wellness-collaborative/): Impact Alamance 2015-Present Alamance County, NC Overview Healthy Places by Design is working with Impact Alamance and Burlington Parks and Recreation to develop and guide the Alamance Wellness Collaborative. The collaborative focuses on policy, systems, and environmental changes that support active living and healthy food access in Alamance County. Members include the leaders from
- [Collaborative Learning and Networking Across New Jersey](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/project/collaborative-learning-and-networking-across-new-jersey/): Collaborative Learning and Networking Across New Jersey 2020-2022 New Jersey State Overview New Jersey Health Initiatives (NJHI) is the statewide grantmaking program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. NJHI supports innovations and drives conversations to build healthier communities through grantmaking across the State of New Jersey. The NJHI program encourages collaboration across sectors in
- [Upstream Action Acceleration](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/project/upstream-action-acceleration/): New Jersey Health Initiatives 2017-2020 New Jersey Overview New Jersey Health Initiatives (NJHI)'s Upstream Action Acceleration initiative furthered the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's (RWJF) vision of building a Culture of Health by supporting the efforts of existing community-focused, cross-sector coalitions to adopt and implement upstream environmental, policy, and systems changes. The initiative has accelerated
- [Action Acceleration and Collaborative Learning](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/project/robert-wood-johnson-foundation-action-acceleration-and-collaborative-learning/): County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2016-2020 National Overview From 2016-2018, Healthy Places by Design supported the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (CHR&R) Action Acceleration and Collaborative Learning initiative, and this work has been extended through the 2019-2020 Community Collaborative Learning initiative. These initiatives have been made possible through a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson
- [Cultivating Healthy Communities](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/project/cultivating-healthy-communities/): Aetna Foundation 2018-2020 National Overview Since January 2018, Healthy Places by Design has supported Aetna Foundation's Cultivating Healthy Communities (CHC) grant program by co-developing, coordinating, and facilitating a peer learning network connecting several dozen local nonprofit and government organizations in 18 states. We helped set the "virtual table" for lively conversations to exchange ideas,
- [SNAP-Ed Community PSE Exploration Initiative](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/project/snap-ed-community-pse-exploration-initiative/): Michigan Fitness Foundation 2019-Present State Overview The Michigan Fitness Foundation's (MFF) SNAP-Ed collaborative of statewide partners focuses on improving the health of Michigan's most vulnerable citizens, including children, seniors, families, and communities in crisis. SNAP-Ed programs develop community leaders and enable residents to gain knowledge and access resources that improve opportunities to eat healthy
- [Socially Connected Communities: Solutions to Social Isolation](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/project/socially-connected-communities-solutions-to-social-isolation/): Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 2020-Present National Overview In recent decades, people around the world have experienced soaring rates of social isolation, with profound impacts on health and well-being. These impacts are felt most acutely by people who are marginalized because of their race, income, location, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Isolation is also exacerbated
- [Other Projects](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/project/all-projects/): MMS Education Since 2017, Healthy Places by Design has partnered with MMS Education, a woman-owned consulting firm, in a variety of projects designed to advance the work of foundations and their grantees. Examples include: Meeting planning, design, implementation, synthesis, and evaluation for a range of stakeholders focused on how to create healthier, more equitable communities;
- [Healthy Eating by Design](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/project/robert-wood-johnson-foundation-healthy-eating-by-design/): Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 2005–2007 National Overview The Healthy Eating by Design pilot project supported 12 Active Living by Design community partnerships in identifying and implementing promising healthy eating strategies in either school or community settings. Our Support Served as one of four Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Childhood Obesity Synergy Projects, providing a “learning
- [Active Living by Design](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/project/robert-wood-johnson-foundation-active-living-by-design/): Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 2001–2008 National Overview Active Living by Design supported comprehensive approaches to increase physical activity in 25 diverse communities across the nation with a low-dollar, high-touch approach to grant making and technical assistance. Based on an integrated “5P” model (which was the foundation for Healthy Places by Design's Community Action Model)
- [Community-Centered Health](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/project/blue-cross-blue-shield-of-north-carolina-foundation-community-centered-health/): Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation 2014–2018 State of North Carolina Overview The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation (Blue Cross NC)’s Community-Centered Health (CCH) initiative supports collaboration between clinical and community organizations to better understand, and act on, social determinants of health. Rather than individual-centered and treatment-oriented,
- [Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/project/robert-wood-johnson-foundation/): Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 2008–2014 National Overview Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities (HKHC), an initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) from 2008-2014, supported multidisciplinary partnerships in 49 communities across the country to promote changes to local policies, systems, and environments that foster healthy living and prevent childhood obesity. Our final report to the field, Growing
- [Wake County Healthy Community Grant](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/project/john-rex-endowment-wake-county-healthy-community-grant/): John Rex Endowment 2013–2018 Wake County, NC Overview From 2014-2017, John Rex Endowment embarked on and completed the first initiative of its kind in Wake County, North Carolina, driven by the belief that municipal governments play an important role in creating healthy and equitable places. The Wake County Healthy Community (WCHC) grant supported six
- [Health Legacy Collaborative Learning Circle](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/project/health-legacy-collaborative-learning-circle/): A partnership between the Danville Regional Foundation, Interact for Health, Paso del Norte Foundation, and the PATH Foundation with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 2016–2018 Overview In late 2016, four health legacy foundations partnered in response to a national funding opportunity from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s County Health Rankings & Roadmaps

## Tags

- [Community / Youth Engagement](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/tag/community-and-youth-engagement/)
- [Zoning / Land Use](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/tag/zoning-and-land-use/)
- [Strategic Communications](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/tag/strategic-communications/)
- [Healthy Food Retail](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/tag/healthy-food-retail/)
- [Farmers' Markets](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/tag/farmers-markets/)
- [Leadership Development / Capacity Building](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/tag/leadership-development-and-capacity-building/)
- [Gardens / Urban Agriculture](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/tag/gardens-and-urban-agriculture/)
- [Health Equity](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/tag/health-equity-focus/)
- [Nutrition / Physical Activity Standards](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/tag/nutrition-and-physical-activity-standards/)
- [Walking / Bicycling / Public Transportation](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/tag/walking-bicycling-and-public-transportation/)
- [Planning / Assessment / Evaluation](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/tag/planning-assessment-and-evaluation/)
- [Parks / Playgrounds / Trails](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/tag/parks-playgrounds-trails/)
- [Partnership Development](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/tag/partnership-development/)
- [Sustainable Thinking](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/tag/sustainable-thinking/)
- [Collaborative Learning & Networking](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/tag/collaborative-learning-and-networking/)
- [Clinical-Community Collaboration](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/tag/clinical-community-collaboration/)
- [Where Are They Now?](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/tag/where-are-they-now/)
- [Social Determinants of Health](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/tag/social-determinants-of-health/)
- [Guest Blogs](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/tag/guest-blogs/)
- [Socially Connected Communities](https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/tag/socially-connected-communities/)