Environment

Researchers found that the opening of a community garden had a statistically significant positive impact on residential properties within 1000 feet of the garden, and tht the impact increased over time. Gardens had the greatest impact in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods. Higher quality gardens had the greatest positive impact. Finally, researchers found that the opening of a garden was associated with other changes in the neighborhood, such as increasing rates of homeownership, and thus may be serving as catalysts for economic redevelopment of the community.

Concerns such as costs, liability and security frequently prevent after-hours recreational use of school facilities. This fact sheet from the National Policy and Legal Analysis Network (NPLAN) provides information to help city, county, and town governments utilize joint use agreements to partner with school districts and expand the availability of places to be physically active. 

The annotated resource book for Healthy Kids Healthy Communities includes a variety of resources for communities working on physical activity and the build environment.  The guide is organized by different topic areas, some of which include: Youth Engagement, Safety and Crime, and Land Use and Transportation.  It also includes action tools and a list of organizations working the connection between physical activity and the built environment. 

Food and eating environments likely contribute to the increasing epidemic of obesity and chronic diseases, over and above individual factors such as knowledge, skills and motivation. Four broad levels of influence are outlined in this paper: individual, social environment, physical environment, and macro-level environments.