Join public health experts and Alta Planning + Design on Thursday, May 11 at 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM PDT for a discussion on “Advancing the Intersection of Health, Equity, and Transportation.”
This webinar will introduce available health data that can be useful in decision-making and prioritization, provide case studies of successful efforts to integrate health and equity in planning projects, and show how to leverage this information to make a powerful benefit case for transportation investments.
Alta Planning + Design will moderate and participate in this webinar. Presenters include:
Chris Saleeba, PLA, MPH, Senior Design Associate
Don Kostelec, Senior Planning Associate
Kelly Kavanaugh, MPH, CHES, South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control
Jean Mutchie, MBA, St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital in Nampa, Idaho
Featured Case Studies
Destination Medical Center City Loop, Rochester, MN
Alta is part of a team developing a preferred alignment and concept designs for the City Loop, a high-quality urban protected bikeway that is envisioned as part of the Destination Medical Center. As part of the site assessment phase of the project, Alta conducted a health analysis to examine the rate and distribution of chronic disease across the city. Using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 500 Cities data, Alta developed a series of choropleth maps that geographically locate disparities in health throughout the city. In particular, Alta examined indicators that physical activity has been found to positively impact, including heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and mental health. This analysis is being used to justify the importance of designing the City Loop to be a safe and comfortable facility for people of all ages and abilities.
South Carolina PHASE Pedestrian Planning
Made possible through a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control is working to increase pedestrian planning efforts throughout the state through a project called South Carolina Prevention and Health Across Systems and Environments (SC PHASE). The 4-year project will develop pedestrian plans for 16 communities in specific counties throughout the state. Beyond the basic tenets of walkability and pedestrian safety, key elements of the program initiative include equity-based planning, community engagement, and safe pedestrian access to healthy foods.
Nampa, Idaho Healthy Conditions Assessment
Alta worked with the Blue Cross Foundation of Idaho on an assessment and neighborhood-level plan for the City of Nampa. The project is called a Healthy Conditions Assessment (HCA) and is a hybrid of a Health Impact Assessment and traditional Comprehensive Planning. The HCA approach uses social determinants of health data points to refine geographies that may be having challenges for further investigation. Major themes unearthed during the project include inequity in the Hispanic communities, food access, affordable housing and lack of transportation options.
Register for the webinar here.