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This paper examines the essential role of urban green spaces in fostering healthy living from a landscape architecture perspective. Health goes beyond the mere absence of disease to include physical, mental, and social wellbeing, all of which are greatly enhanced by accessible green spaces. By synthesising existing literature, this paper shows that urban green spaces have strong positive associations with health outcomes, especially in urban settings where environmental stressors are pronounced. The paper stresses the importance of designing attractive and accessible green spaces that encourage physical activity, mental wellbeing, and social interaction, addressing public health issues such as obesity and mental health disorders. In addition to physical and mental health benefits, the paper explores the potential of local food production through edible green infrastructure, such as community gardens, which can significantly improve diet and nutrition. Additionally, the study discusses disparities in the access to quality green spaces, particularly between the Global North and South, and advocates for equitable design strategies that serve diverse populations. Integrating evidence-based approaches into landscape architecture, the paper argues for the establishment of urban green spaces as essential elements of public health infrastructure. Finally, the paper calls for future research and policy efforts to maximise the health benefits of urban green spaces and improve the quality of life in urban environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Active School Travel (AST) initiatives align with the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, which calls for ‘creating supportive environments’ and ‘strengthening community action.’ However, their reliance on volunteers poses sustainability challenges. The main objectives of this study were to document the motivations, satisfaction, and experiences of volunteers involved in sustaining two AST initiatives in Ontario for an entire school year. Methods Two volunteer-led School Street initiatives in Kingston, Ontario successfully operated during pick-up and drop-off times of each school day. The first initiative operated for the entire 2021-2022 school year, and the second operated for the entire 2022-2023 school year. These initiatives were the first of their kind in the province of Ontario, Canada. Volunteers from both sites (n = 56) participated in online surveys and their motivations, satisfaction, and experiences of their role were compared using the 2-sided Fisher’s Exact Test. Results Over 80% of volunteers were highly motivated to promote safety and over 70% of volunteers were highly motivated to disrupt the status quo of unsupportive, car-centric urban environments by reimagining how streets can be used. By taking collective action to re-shape the environment around these public schools to support healthy, active living, our findings reveal that over 90% of volunteers were highly satisfied. Of the volunteers, 87% felt they contributed to child safety and 85% felt they had developed stronger community connections. They appreciated the short (i.e., 40 minute) time commitment of each shift, weekly email communications by the community organization leading the initiative, and the volunteer schedule. They also appreciated the positive social interactions during volunteer shifts, which they felt outweighed the minimal resistance they experienced. Conclusions This research demonstrates the importance of logistical, motivational, and social factors in recruiting and retaining volunteers for community-led School Streets. Our findings support appealing to prospective volunteers’ influence in achieving School Street objectives (e.g., improved safety) in recruitment efforts, as well as highlighting School Streets’ innovative approach. Communicating with volunteers throughout School Street planning and implementation processes and limiting traffic in the closed street zone (i.e., by excluding the school staff parking lot and private driveways from the scope) are additional recommendations based on the findings of this study.

Background: Active School Travel (AST) initiatives align with the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, which calls for 'creating supportive environments' and 'strengthening community action.' However, their reliance on volunteers poses sustainability challenges. The main objectives of this study were to document the motivations, satisfaction, and experiences of volunteers involved in sustaining two AST initiatives in Ontario for an entire school year. Methods: Two volunteer-led School Street initiatives in Kingston, Ontario successfully operated during pick-up and drop-off times of each school day. The first initiative operated for the entire 2021-2022 school year, and the second operated for the entire 2022-2023 school year. These initiatives were the first of their kind in the province of Ontario, Canada. Volunteers from both sites (n = 56) participated in online surveys and their motivations, satisfaction, and experiences of their role were compared using the 2-sided Fisher's Exact Test. Results: Over 80% of volunteers were highly motivated to promote safety and over 70% of volunteers were highly motivated to disrupt the status quo of unsupportive, car-centric urban environments by reimagining how streets can be used. By taking collective action to re-shape the environment around these public schools to support healthy, active living, our findings reveal that over 90% of volunteers were highly satisfied. Of the volunteers, 87% felt they contributed to child safety and 85% felt they had developed stronger community connections. They appreciated the short (i.e., 40 minute) time commitment of each shift, weekly email communications by the community organization leading the initiative, and the volunteer schedule. They also appreciated the positive social interactions during volunteer shifts, which they felt outweighed the minimal resistance they experienced. Conclusions: This research demonstrates the importance of logistical, motivational, and social factors in recruiting and retaining volunteers for community-led School Streets. Our findings support appealing to prospective volunteers' influence in achieving School Street objectives (e.g., improved safety) in recruitment efforts, as well as highlighting School Streets' innovative approach. Communicating with volunteers throughout School Street planning and implementation processes and limiting traffic in the closed street zone (i.e., by excluding the school staff parking lot and private driveways from the scope) are additional recommendations based on the findings of this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the essential role of urban green spaces in fostering healthy living from a landscape architecture perspective. Health goes beyond the mere absence of disease to include physical, mental, and social wellbeing, all of which are greatly enhanced by accessible green spaces. By synthesising existing literature, this paper shows that urban green spaces have strong positive associations with health outcomes, especially in urban settings where environmental stressors are pronounced. The paper stresses the importance of designing attractive and accessible green spaces that encourage physical activity, mental wellbeing, and social interaction, addressing public health issues such as obesity and mental health disorders. In addition to physical and mental health benefits, the paper explores the potential of local food production through edible green infrastructure, such as community gardens, which can significantly improve diet and nutrition. Additionally, the study discusses disparities in the access to quality green spaces, particularly between the Global North and South, and advocates for equitable design strategies that serve diverse populations. Integrating evidence-based approaches into landscape architecture, the paper argues for the establishment of urban green spaces as essential elements of public health infrastructure. Finally, the paper calls for future research and policy efforts to maximise the health benefits of urban green spaces and improve the quality of life in urban environments.

This paper examines how mobility can be re-examined within four communities that face substantial transport barriers. Four case study communities facing mobility exclusion were investigated: (i) an ageing community in South Wales; (ii) a community of people with learning difficulties from across Wales; (iii) female university students in Pakistan; (iv) a deprived neighbourhood in mid-Wales. Using an illuminative evaluation, collating a variety of information from documents associated with the communities, it was identified that transport creates freedom, independence, and contributes to sense of purpose, worth, and can help create community. Barriers to public transport include inaccessibility of the first/last mile, services not running at required times, being delayed, and cancelled. Barriers to active travel include poor infrastructure. Not being able to be mobile affects health, not just with a lack of active travel but also missed health appointments and a lack of access to healthy foods. Already marginalised communities are further disadvantaged by the barriers reducing access to jobs, education, services, shops, and leisure. Communities want support to develop their knowledge into a package that actors can use to develop a solution, often citing the need for quantitative skills, however, other ways of utilising experiential knowledge might be more appropriate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background This study presents an intervention designed to foster the implementation of health promotion programs within District Municipality Community Centers (DMCCs) in Jerusalem, and the creation of a peer network of healthy settings with a shared aspiration of collaborating and implementing health-promoting policies at the community level. We also present the evaluation strategy, based on the EQUIHP and RE-AIM frameworks. Methods Twenty DMCCs completed our program. This evaluation research involved a comprehensive seminar during the first year for DMCCs coordinators, teaching them the principles of health promotion. An educational kit was distributed during the second year. The evaluation strategy included a process evaluation and annual evaluations based on the EQUIHP and RE-AIM frameworks. The EQUIHP tool was divided into four dimensions of evaluation: 1) Framework of health promotion principles, 2) Project development and implementation, 3) Project management, and 4) Sustainability; while the RE-AIM domains included: 1)Reach, 2)Effectiveness, 3)Adoption, 4)Implementation and 5)Maintenance. Results The program led to high responsiveness among DMCCs and to the implementation of diverse health promotion initiatives, with a participation of approximately 29,191 residents. The EQUIHP evaluation showed an improvement in program quality in Year 2. The final RE-AIM evaluation presented a total median score of 0.61 for all domains, where 0 was non-performance and 1.0 was full performance. The ‘Framework of health promotion principles’ and ‘Reach’ components received the highest median score (0.83, 1.0 and 0.87), while the ‘Sustainability and ‘Maintenance’ components received the lowest (0.5). Conclusions This innovative program adapts the Healthy Cities approach (initiated by the World Health Organization in 1986) to the development of community center health-promoting settings within the larger municipal framework, training local community center staff members to assess and address local health concerns and build community capacity. The local focus and efforts may help community actors to create health promotion programs more likely to be adopted, feasible in the ‘real-world’ and able to produce public health impact in the communities where people live. Moreover, collaboration and cooperation among DMCCs may lead to a broader community health vision, forging coalitions that can advocate more powerfully for health promotion. Trial registration NIH trial registration number: NCT04470960. Retrospectively registered on: 14/07/2020.

Zoning has been proposed as a way of reducing unhealthy food access for youth, but little research has evaluated outcomes of proposed or existing junk food bans, and even less research has considered equity implications of such zoning policies. In this simulation study, set in the Region of Waterloo, Ontario (Canada), we examined how secondary student access to fast food restaurants and convenience stores would change under such a policy over 10 years in a mid-sized Canadian municipality. Outcomes are presented by school-level advantage (derived from the proportion of students in equity-deserving subgroups: low income, students who speak English as an additional language, and students not born in Canada). Current fast food restaurant and convenience store access was higher around schools with a higher proportion of equity-deserving students, and access remained higher around these schools even after 10 years under each policy scenario. After 10 years, the mean number of fast food restaurants and convenience stores within a 1-km network distance still exceeded five unhealthy outlets for both disadvantaged and advantaged schools, which was above the threshold associated with lower junk food consumption among youth. These findings bring into question the potential effectiveness and equity implications of restrictive zoning policies aimed at protecting youth from poor-quality food environments. Planners may consider prioritizing interventions to improve the healthfulness of food environments around schools where there are large proportions of equity-deserving students, but consideration of different interventions seems warranted in this context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering that safety is a key environmental factor that promotes health, understanding the relationship between built environment features around transit station areas and crime may shed light on how to foster healthy communities. Yet, there is limited work that has examined how the combination of different built environment features around transit correlate with different crimes. We addressed this issue in this study using data from Chicago (IL). First, we used cluster analysis to classify stations in Chicago in a spectrum from transit-oriented development (TOD) to transit-adjacent development (TAD) categories depending on their built environment characteristics: central business district (CBD)–TOD, TOD, hybrid, and TAD. Then, we identified the block groups that fell within a 1-mile network distance of each of these station areas and used propensity score matching to find adequate comparison block groups for them. Results from our analyses show that CBD station areas with the highest activity density, land use diversity, amenity richness, accessibility, and walkability (i.e., CBD–TOD) were the safest. In contrast, TOD areas with medium activity density and land use diversity but high amenity richness, walkability, and accessibility appeared to be the least safe. That said, low levels across these built environment features as found in TAD station areas also correlated with higher crime. These findings suggest the importance of balancing amenity richness and accessibility with density and land use diversity. Areas rich in amenities but with lower levels of land use diversity and density may attract crime victims and offenders while facilitating spaces in which the availability of eyes on the street or guardians is low. As such, these station areas may be poor promoters of healthy communities if high crime rates deter people from engaging in active mobility promoted by greater walkability, connectivity, and amenity richness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights:  A theoretical framework for the research of public health safety in community living circles is based on a behavioral motivation perspective. What are the main findings? Building a "geographical environment–life activity–public health" model for evaluating health behavior. Building a public health safety evaluation system for community living circles. What is the implication of the main finding? A new approach to the theory of "healthy communities" based on direct impact factors. The findings can be used in community living circles for "health checks", and the planning of healthy and safe living circles. Public health problems, such as the spread of COVID-19 and chronic diseases, are mainly caused by the daily life activities of community residents. Therefore, there is a need to build a healthy and safe community living circle through the evaluation of health behaviors in daily life. This paper proposes a theoretical framework and evaluation system for public health safety in community living circles, from a behavioral motivation perspective. Firstly, based on the behavioral motivation theory, a theoretical framework for the study of public health safety in community living circles is constructed from the perspective of the "project–activity–health" coupling relationship network, regarding community residents' daily life activities. Then, a public health safety evaluation system for community living circles is proposed based on this framework, which includes the following: (1) identifying the scope of community living circles based on Spatio-temporal Activities Analysis; (2) Based on the theory of protection motivation, a health behavior evaluation model based on the three elements of "spatial and temporal geographical environment–daily life activities–public health safety" is established; (3) Based on the hierarchy of public health problems, a public health safety evaluation model of the community living circle is established. The behavioral motivation-based evaluation system explores a new approach and research paradigm for community-scale public health safety theory; this will help to achieve the goal of "healthy communities" when further empirical evidence is available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Health Organization's Healthy Cities movement recommends action on the determinants of health and health equity. While economic and ecological circumstances have been studied with respect to health outcomes, research shows that the relationship between these broad determinants and population health is not always clear. Municipal governments, whose relative proximity to individuals means that they are optimally situated to address local health concerns, can demonstrate political will for healthy communities by developing health community policies. Therefore, the aim of this study is to interrogate how the idea of a 'healthy community' has been conceptualized by municipal governments in order to inform the future uptake of the concept. This study uses a post-structural policy analysis to examine government discourse on healthy communities in a medium-sized census metropolitan area (CMA) in Ontario, Canada. The findings highlight economic growth and ecological sustainability as priorities for fostering a healthy community. With emphasis on long-standing issues linking health outcomes to broader societal conditions, this study calls on municipal governments to explicitly consider the health impacts of healthy community strategies and adoption of a Health-in-All-Policies (HiAP) approach.

Background: This study presents an intervention designed to foster the implementation of health promotion programs within District Municipality Community Centers (DMCCs) in Jerusalem, and the creation of a peer network of healthy settings with a shared aspiration of collaborating and implementing health-promoting policies at the community level. We also present the evaluation strategy, based on the EQUIHP and RE-AIM frameworks.Methods: Twenty DMCCs completed our program. This evaluation research involved a comprehensive seminar during the first year for DMCCs coordinators, teaching them the principles of health promotion. An educational kit was distributed during the second year. The evaluation strategy included a process evaluation and annual evaluations based on the EQUIHP and RE-AIM frameworks. The EQUIHP tool was divided into four dimensions of evaluation: 1) Framework of health promotion principles, 2) Project development and implementation, 3) Project management, and 4) Sustainability; while the RE-AIM domains included: 1)Reach, 2)Effectiveness, 3)Adoption, 4)Implementation and 5)Maintenance.Results: The program led to high responsiveness among DMCCs and to the implementation of diverse health promotion initiatives, with a participation of approximately 29,191 residents. The EQUIHP evaluation showed an improvement in program quality in Year 2. The final RE-AIM evaluation presented a total median score of 0.61 for all domains, where 0 was non-performance and 1.0 was full performance. The 'Framework of health promotion principles' and 'Reach' components received the highest median score (0.83, 1.0 and 0.87), while the 'Sustainability and 'Maintenance' components received the lowest (0.5).Conclusions: This innovative program adapts the Healthy Cities approach (initiated by the World Health Organization in 1986) to the development of community center health-promoting settings within the larger municipal framework, training local community center staff members to assess and address local health concerns and build community capacity. The local focus and efforts may help community actors to create health promotion programs more likely to be adopted, feasible in the 'real-world' and able to produce public health impact in the communities where people live. Moreover, collaboration and cooperation among DMCCs may lead to a broader community health vision, forging coalitions that can advocate more powerfully for health promotion.Trial Registration: NIH trial registration number: NCT04470960. Retrospectively registered on: 14/07/2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: GrandSchools is a new concept which co-locates retirement villages with secondary schools in one physical environment. Designed to enhance the health and well-being of both younger and older generations, this intergenerational-shared campus model promotes intergenerational inclusivity and active learning and living. In this paper, we explore stakeholder experts' perceptions of current opportunities and impediments to this proposed intergenerational learning and living model. Methods: A qualitative study reporting on findings from an industry seminar (n = 50) and key interviews (n = 10) from stakeholders in education, health, higher education, the management and operation of retirement villages, and design firms. Results: Three key themes summarised participants' assessment of the value, risks and what needs to change in order for intergenerational living and learning to become a reality. Conclusions: By bringing younger and older generations together in one shared campus location, GrandSchools is a novel idea to promote intergenerational inclusivity, enhancing the health and well-being of our whole community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The following contribution presents some findings deriving from the research project "Sport is Society" by Politecnico di Milano. The research reflects on the built heritage and its ability to be accessible and usable for different users with different needs in its structures and offer of services, focusing on sports activities and spaces. The study refers to collective ecclesiastical structures in the contemporary city. The research in this area demonstrates the possible degrees of innovation regarding the increase in the inclusiveness of private facilities with a public vocation, where sport represents a driver of social inclusion for the community. The research proposes advice to guarantee inclusive sports facilities for the community, highlighting the strict relationship between the inclusive city and the ecclesiastical heritage, as an emerging issue to be investigated and solved. Starting from its relevance and the potential of the structures to become a truly "accessible patrimony", the tool suggests strategies for policymakers and ecclesiastical administrations to make them become "open services" - usable and accessible by all - for and inside the urban community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Active School Commuting (ASC) and K-12 school siting policies and practices have garnered increased attention in recent years from the planning and public health fields. Of central concern is that, too often, new school siting choices contribute to sprawl and inhibit active transportation to school because they are located far from where students live and/or lack surrounding pedestrian-oriented street characteristics. California has made state policy strides in actively promoting healthy communities, which has included an interest in ensuring communities and school sites are more walkable. To inform this policy area, this study measures the walkability around a sample of schools sited and constructed in six high-growth counties in California from 2003-2011. As California looks to implement a Health in All Policies approach into state decision making (Executive Order S-04-10), and weave health, equity, and environmental sustainability into more policies, a better understanding of the relationship between school siting and walkability is needed, particularly considering that the state provides funds to school districts for new school construction projects. Amidst these state health-promoting efforts, there is not clarity on how walkable newly sited schools are. Our research with this study addresses this gap. Our findings show that the proportion of new schools sited in our study period in California that could be considered objectively walkable by American urban standards is small. Thus, it does seem that state policy actions that would increase the number of walkability around schools may be needed to realize broader healthy community objectives. Local inter-agency and inter-jurisdictional collaboration can likely realize co-benefits that lead to healthy, sustainable communities with improved educational opportunities. Clarity in state policies, guidance, and funding priorities would likely improve collaborative local planning for better outcomes in health, education, and sustainability, which, in turn, maximize investments across sectors. We add to these findings a discussion of recent policy efforts to improve school siting outcomes in California such that they are promoting health and walkability.

To reverse the global epidemic of physical inactivity that is responsible for more than 5 million deaths per year, many groups recommend creating "activity-friendly environments." Such environments may have other benefits, beyond facilitating physical activity, but these potential co-benefits have not been well described. The purpose of the present paper is to explore a wide range of literature and conduct an initial summary of evidence on co-benefits of activity-friendly environments. An extensive but non-systematic review of scientific and "gray" literature was conducted. Five physical activity settings were defined: parks/open space/trails, urban design, transportation, schools, and workplaces/buildings. Several evidence-based activity-friendly features were identified for each setting. Six potential outcomes/co-benefits were searched: physical health, mental health, social benefits, safety/injury prevention, environmental sustainability, and economics. A total of 418 higher-quality findings were summarized. The overall summary indicated 22 of 30 setting by outcome combinations showed "strong" evidence of co-benefits. Each setting had strong evidence of at least three co-benefits, with only one occurrence of a net negative effect. All settings showed the potential to contribute to environmental sustainability and economic benefits. Specific environmental features with the strongest evidence of multiple co-benefits were park proximity, mixed land use, trees/greenery, accessibility and street connectivity, building design, and workplace physical activity policies/programs. The exploration revealed substantial evidence that designing community environments that make physical activity attractive and convenient is likely to produce additional important benefits. The extent of the evidence justifies systematic reviews and additional research to fill gaps.

In 1984, in Toronto, the Healthy Cities idea was coined, soon adopted by the World Health Organization to launch, in 1986, a major international initiative. Since then, over 10, 000 municipalities worldwide have jumped in, including small rural villages, which led the movement to be called Healthy Communities in Canada. Four action principles at the core of the movement can influence the fight against poverty in rural areas: intersectorality, participation, empowerment, and municipal commitment. This article describes a collective case study involving four rural municipalities that are members of the Québec Network of Healthy Communities. This qualitative study paid detailed attention to understand how these initiatives embraced fighting poverty. Five factors to be considered emerged if rural municipalities in the Healthy Communities networks and beyond them want to address poverty concretely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Professional sporting teams may be well-positioned to act as promoters of health behaviors given their fixture within a community, and association with physical activity, nutrition, and other healthy behaviors. Over 4 years, the Calgary Flames Sport and Entertainment Corporation in conjunction with local health promotion professionals, delivered a health promotion event to the public, The Calgary Flames Health Training Camp (FHTC) in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The purpose of these annual events has been to inspire and encourage healthy behavior uptake and adherence. A description of the FHTC over each of 4 years (2015–2018), lessons learned, and some evaluative work done alongside the event on 2 of the 4 years. In 2017, self-report surveys were administered to event attendees to assess current health status including physical activity, socio-cognitive variables, health information preference, and intention to make healthful behavior change based on event attendance. Biometric data was collected including blood pressure, height, weight, and resting heart rate. Evaluations of the four consecutive events showed that the Calgary Flames Sport and Entertainment Corporation has an ability to attract substantial numbers of the general public to attend FHTC events. Self-report measures from 2017 suggest that already-active populations may be most interested in attending however, the events do appear to inspire attendees to consider behavioral changes for health. The events helped to identify individuals with health risks requiring medical attention but has not yet resulted in known behavior changes. Positive community health impacts may arise from collaboration between health promoters and professional sporting organizations.

Health literacy is increasingly important in today's complex information ecosystem, both nationally and globally. Across the world, whether people live in "information rich" or "information poor" societies, the role of our profession is a vital one. In the developed world, the ubiquitous nature of health information creates a wealth of accessible content and simultaneously has created confusion as to what information is reliable, how health information can be utilized, and whether or not information is produced in a meaningful manner. In the developing world, content may be non-existent, culturally inappropriate or inaccessible in terms of language and other barriers. In order to mitigate the health information crisis we are now facing, we need to collaborate and respond to the challenges raised by the complexity of health information. Librarians and other information professionals can and must play an important role in improving health literacy in their communities. This paper considers international efforts towards improving health in both information poor and information rich settings, including work showcased in recent years at IFLA's Health & Biosciences Libraries Section Open Sessions at the World Library & Information Congress (WLIC). It discusses health literacy in the US and other developed economies, and looks in detail at innovative work by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC)where the Health Sciences Library (HSL), a part of the University Libraries, has strengthened efforts surrounding health literacy in local communities and throughout the state. This paper provides examples of how to partner with multiple constituencies on health literacy and discusses future opportunities for growth and engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effectiveness of health promotion through arts engagement, and the health benefits and social importance of music in particular, are becoming increasingly recognized. However, like sport, music-making is an athletic endeavour, one that often involves high physiological and psychological loadings on the bodies and minds of musicians. Research over the past 30 years has revealed alarming rates of injury among musicians, and has identified health risk factors associated with music performance faced by professional and student musicians. Australia lacks consistent provision of essential health education for musicians, and research shows an unacceptably high prevalence of performance-related health problems among musicians of all ages. This article advocates for effective health promotion to be embraced in the policies and practices of Australian music performance organizations and educational bodies. It argues that a cultural shift is required, recognizing that a settings-based approach to health literacy is as fundamentally important for musicians as it is for any other occupation or athletic activity. Embedding health education into the delivery of music education will not only help to prevent injury over the lifespan of Australian musicians, it will support and sustain their capacity to contribute towards societal wellbeing and public health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technological developments for engineering chicken breast in petri-dishes or creating a goo-type substance that contains all the nutrients the human body needs signifies the deepest separation between people, place, and food systems that has ever existed in human history. Despite the benefits of the modern food system, many communities have forgotten about planning and designing for food systems in the built environment. Where once food dominated how cities were located and planned (Steel in Hungry city: how food shapes our lives, Random House, London, UK, 2010), production systems have since become more centralized, often in distant lands, and the experience behind food becomes detached, invisible, and simply another convenience of modern life. As food has become more of an afterthought than an organizing principal of life and cities, planners and designers have become critical to creating a thriving urban environment and reconnecting people to food and place. Great streets have been an urban design subject for decades (Jacobs in Great streets, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press, Cambridge, MA, 1993), however, few have focused on how food systems can be a core program and design driver for streets. Great food streets can create a sense of place, be an economic opportunity, and contribute to the overall health and happiness of people living in cities. Looking at street design through a food systems lens offers new opportunities for making food growing, distribution, buying/selling, celebrating, educating, and managing waste more visible. The magnetism, or level of attraction, created by using a food lens to plan and design streets, draws many different kinds of people to the same place for different reasons. The result is a lively and vibrant street that provides a range of activities and services for diverse needs and interests the community. This article focuses on how the planning, design, and programing of the built environment, specifically streets, can reflect and create an inclusive and sustainable food system. This article will further define food systems and urban magnetism, discuss why great food streets are needed including the public health imperative for great food streets, provide observations around the modern food systems' impact on street design, present characteristics of great food streets, and present types and examples of food streets. Examples strive to illustrate planning and design concepts appropriate for large and small communities as well as warm and cold weather places. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On November of last year 2018, it was hold in Santiago de Cuba city the II Meeting of Mayors and Mayoresses from Municipalities and Healthy Communities in the America Region. In this work, the agreements taken in this event as for the Regional Strategy of Health Promotion on the part of the different participant countries are exposed and, also, some of the tasks implemented on this respect and others in projection in Santiago de Cuba province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A contributing factor to the U.S. national obesity epidemic is the built environment-the physical aspects of a community in which we live, work and engage in our everyday activities. Therefore, modifying the built environment can be a solution to address the epidemic. Such an example is the Arkansas Coalition for Obesity Prevention (ArCOP) Growing Healthy Communities (GHC) initiative. The GHC initiative encourages community health workers, health education specialists, government officials and other stakeholders to embrace community collaboration in efforts to improve built environments by equipping them with resources that increase community access to healthy foods and physical activities to help combat obesity. ArCOP to date has funded 100+ GHC communities in Arkansas. One of the five communities being highlighted by the authors for their GHC efforts includes: the University of Arkansas at Little Rock University District community, in which the authors have contributed to implementing various GHC projects for the residents of this community. The GHC, a state initiative, has implications for national and global use, and it is emerging as an exemplary best practice model. It provides communities with effective strategies to help address the health inequities of obesity, through prevention and intervention measures to improve health behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This preliminary study assesses the relationship between active transportation, the built environment, and population perceived health in two comparable cities in the Southeastern United States at different stages of improving infrastructure for active commuting. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey data from 2006 to 2012 were analyzed for Charlotte, NC, and Jacksonville, FL. The annual difference between the percentage of Charlotte respondents rating physical health as good compared to Jacksonville’s increased at a rate of 13% based on an exponential growth regression model (p = 0.02). Supportive urban and transportation policies aimed at facilitating healthy behaviors are associated with healthier communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives This paper outlined an argument as to why history and historians should be included in a healthy settings approach. Study design Qualitative descriptive study. Methods A narrative review of the literature across a broad cross-section of history, health promotion and public health disciplines was undertaken. Results Three reasons for including history were identified relating to the social role of history as a means of analysing social memory, of changing social narratives and by raising social consciousness. This allowed for a distinction between history in health and history of health. Precedents of this social role can be found in the fields of feminist and postcolonial histories, oral history and museums in health. Conclusion Reasons for why historians and health promotion practitioners and researchers have not previously had working relationships were explored, as were some of the factors that would need to be considered for such relationships to work well, including the need to recognise different languages, different understandings of the role of history, and a potential lack of awareness of the health implications of historical work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthy built environments place people and communities at the heart of urban planning, encouraging decision-making based on human health, well-being and environmental sustainability. This paper describes the development of a set of indicators to assist in this endeavour—by translating and linking the research evidence base with policy-makers and other practitioners. The paper describes how the indicators were chosen, contextualized and subsequently structured to maximize useability for urban planners and health professionals working together to improve community health and neighbourhood sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The retail food environment is becoming an increasingly important consideration in land use planning decisions. Although many municipal official (or comprehensive) plans call for improved food environments, there are no standard methods by which to assess the implementation of policies reflecting these priorities. Methods developed to assess policy enforcement should be feasible to implement by urban planners and developers, should show some correlation between food environments and residents' health or diet outcomes, and should consider a more nuanced view of food environments than solely focusing on food access. In this paper we review food environment characteristics, theories and conceptual models, and assessment methods with goal of presenting theoretical bases for the selection of food environment assessment tools by public health planners and other practitioners. We examine methods to assess food environments and discuss potential adaptations of the methods to suit the needs of urban planners. A case study of the region of Waterloo is presented to illuminate the potential of food environment assessments for healthy public policy enforcement. Finally we describe implications for public health and urban planning.

Given the power asymmetries between adults and young people, youth involvement in research is often at risk of tokenism. While many disciplines have seen a shift from conducting research on youth to conducting research with and for youth, engaging children and teens in research remains fraught with conceptual, methodological, and practical challenges. Arnstein’s foundational Ladder of Participation has been adapted in novel ways in youth research, but in this paper, we present a new rendering: a ‘rope ladder.’ This concept came out of our youth-driven planning process to develop a Youth Advisory Council for the Human Environments Analysis Laboratory, an interdisciplinary research laboratory focused on developing healthy communities for young people. As opposed to a traditional ladder, composed of rigid material and maintaining a static position, the key innovation of our concept is that it integrates a greater degree of flexibility and mobility by allowing dynamic movement beyond a 2D vertical plane. At the same time, the pliable nature of the rope makes it both responsive and susceptible to exogenous forces. We argue that involving youth in the design of their own participatory framework reveals dimensions of participation that are important to youth, which may not be captured by the existing participatory models.

Creating active-living, age-friendly communities requires new methods to assess public spaces and to engage older citizens in healthy urban planning. This article presents the development and piloting of a participatory group tool to evaluate and rate the quality of streets for walking from the viewpoint of older adults, designed as a simple and practical perceived built-environment measure for action and research purposes. The pilot study took place in two cities (Lisbon and Odivelas) in Portugal, and involved 32 older residents and local partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of problems faced by Colorado Trust regarding community-based versus evidence-based philanthropy, and mentions topics resolving the tension during the Colorado Trust's initiative-based grantmaking and community-based philosophies having inherent limitations.

At the heart of parks and recreation is the underlying goal of improving the quality of life of individuals and contributing to healthy communities. Quality of life has been both theoretically and empirically linked to healthy people and communities; therefore, investigation of the relationship between parks and recreation and quality of life is imperative for the rationale that parks and recreation is a critical public services component of any community. Although definitions and approaches to measure it differ, quality of life typically includes subjective or personal factors and objective or external factors. A recent approach to measuring quality of life is to use a multidimensional concept that includes indicators and attitudinal measures. This method was employed by Andereck and Nyaupane (2011a) to examine how tourism affects quality of life among individuals in communities. Our study adapted a scale developed by Andereck and Nyaupane to investigate the influence of parks and recreation on quality of life for California residents, as a component of the state's Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan. To do this, we formulated two research questions: (1) What is the influence of parks and recreation on perceived quality of life within their community?, and (2) Does a person's perception of the personal benefit from parks and recreation influence perception of quality of life in a community? The questionnaire included three sets of scales that were combined into a parks and recreation quality of life index (PRQOL) to measure residents' perceived QOL impacts of parks and recreation. Five PRQOL domains (community pride and awareness, quality infrastructure and community, economic vitality, natural/cultural preservation, crime and substance abuse) developed from the data by employing Exploratory Factor Analysis, demonstrated that the impact of parks and recreation positively influences perceptions of quality of life for California residents. To understand the relationships between personal benefit of parks and recreation and the five PRQOL domains, a multivariate general linear model was constructed. This model indicated that perceived personal benefit resulting from parks and recreation was positively related to all five PRQOL domains. Ultimately, positive perceptions of PRQOL by community residents could influence policy development, funding, and access to parks and recreation resources, programs, and services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guided by an integrated theoretical approach combining communication infrastructure theory with methods of assets-oriented community field mapping, this study reports the findings of an engaged scholarship project we term communication asset mapping (CAM). Ecological in orientation and participatory in practice, CAM represents a tool for analyzing urban spaces' potential as mediums for building healthy communities. This article offers two case studies from different low-income neighborhoods in Los Angeles, the first a researcher-directed CAM application and the second undertaken in collaboration with community health promotion workers. Both offer insights for researchers and practitioners interested in the intersecting roles of communication and place in creating positive community change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A non-profit organization was formed in 2009 by lay citizens of Nagahama, Japan in response to a community-based genome-epidemiologic study, the 'Nagahama Zero(0)-ji Prevention Cohort Project (N0PCP)'. This organization aims to promote health by taking advantage of citizens' social networks. The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion affirms the importance of creating supportive environments and coordinating social relationships. Supportive environments (infrastructure) and social relationships (resources) work together as aspects of social capital. This study sought to examine the association between self-rated health and social capital, at both individual and neighborhood levels, and to discuss suitable health promotion strategies for local circumstances.A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2011, using a self-administered postal questionnaire. Social capital indicators included aspects of support in the environment (social support, neighborhood connectedness, informal social controls, neighborhood trust, general trust, and attachment to place) and social relationships (number of activities; participation in neighborhood activities; participation in recreational activities; and social leverage regarding physical health, mental health, and acquisition of health information). Neighborhood-level social capital was calculated as the percentage of individuals in a neighborhood in the 'high social capital' category. At the individual level, participation in recreational activities, high general trust, and discussion regarding mental health problems with family members were associated with self-rated health positively, whereas discussion of mental health problems with acquaintances had a negative correlation. At the neighborhood level, a highly supportive environment did not contribute to good health, whereas aggregated attachment to place had a positive correlation. There were no significant inter-regional health differences.The results of this study suggest that health promotion activities should aim at promoting the formation of empathetic friendships through individual networks, based on bringing individuals who need support to compatible places. Attachment to place should be incorporated into activities as an important and effective tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s (MDPH) Mass in Motion Program (MiM) facilitates the adoption of community-level strategies that promote healthy weight in 52 municipalities. MiM provided the platform for enhancing postdischarge continuity of care for breastfeeding. Objective: This study aimed to improve the continuity of breastfeeding care and support for mothers by enhancing postdischarge care infrastructure and supportive contacts for women and families. Methods: The MDPH awarded catalyst grants to community-based organizations (CBOs) that facilitated the formation of teams for improving breastfeeding support. The effort focused on populations that often experience disparities in breastfeeding outcomes such as minority women and women receiving Medicaid. The Added Value Model of Community Coalitions was used to qualitatively assess effect across multiple levels of the socioecological model of influence. Results: Six communities were awarded grants to enhance or convene Breastfeeding Continuity-of-Care Teams consisting of at least 3 CBOs, including 1 maternity hospital, the local Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, and the local MiM representative. Teams implemented customized plans with performance indicators to create and strengthen infrastructure for supportive contacts with breastfeeding mothers. The project included Baby Café pilots in 3 additional MiM communities. Across all grantee communities, there was an average total increase of 491 contacts with mothers per month, an improvement of 8.5% over baseline. The project created 153 added value outcomes of community collaboration at 5 levels in the socioecological framework. Conclusion: The project demonstrated how cross-sector, coordinated efforts focused on vulnerable populations can leverage local strengths to establish/enhance breastfeeding support services customized to local needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the role of the community health nurse in placemaking initiatives. It notes that placemaking has become a movement to invigorate public spaces across the U.S. for the promotion of health and well-being. It cites the impact of place on health including physical, psychological, and social. The article suggests interventions by community nurses such as collaborating with the city planners, and setting goals to transform physical places with elements that focus on health.