Healthy Community Design in Liberty, Missouri

Copyright

2016

Published Date

05/31/2016

Published By

Health Impact Project

In partnership with the Liberty Community Health Action Team and the city of Liberty, the Clay County Public Health Center used a rapid HIA to determine the health outcomes related to having sidewalks on one versus two sides of the street and of grid versus cul-de-sac street designs.

The HIA team conducted a communitywide survey to collect primary data on neighborhood street and sidewalk designs and residents’ activity levels, perceptions on safety, and barriers to using active modes of transportation. The team also sought opinions of emergency responders regarding each type of street design.

The HIA recommended that the city keep its ordinances favoring grid design and mandating sidewalks on both sides of the street to promote connectivity and physical activity and to reduce emergency response times.

A grant from the National Association of City and County Health Officials supported the work. 

-

This Health Impact Assessment Report first appeared in The Cross-Sector Toolkit for Health. The Cross-Sector Toolkit for Health was originally developed by the Health Impact Project, formerly a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts. The creation of this resource was supported by a grant from the Health Impact Project. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Pew Charitable Trusts, or the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.