Communications

Active Living By Design Advocacy Resource Guide

vconti — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 18:40:47 -0500

Watsonville and Pajaro Valley, CA

rosalie — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:57:51 -0600

The city of Watsonville and the surrounding Pajaro Valley would seem to have an abundance of advantages for healthy eating and active living. In their southern corner of Santa Cruz County, not far from Monterey Bay, acres of fields growing strawberries, lettuce and artichokes punctuate the miles of open space.

Yet these crops and resources often remain tantalizingly out of reach for the area’s 47,000 residents, many of them Latino migrant farm workers with little educational achievement, limited English, low wages and high rates of seasonal unemployment.

Grant County, NM

rosalie — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:53:18 -0600

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, but its population, divided almost evenly between Whites and Hispanics, is less than 30,000. Nearly half of all residents live in small rural communities distant from the county’s four incorporated towns. Thirty-eight areas are designated as colonias because of substandard housing, water and sewage systems and streets.

San Felipe Pueblo, NM

rosalie — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:48:51 -0600

Nestled halfway between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, 3,200 people live as a sovereign nation in the Pueblo of San Felipe (Katishtya). Theirs is a historic tribe, first recognized by the federal government in the mid-19th century but with traditions that date back more than 400 hundred years. Yet theirs is also a challenged community, as pertains to the health of their children and the resources available to help youth eat nutritious foods and be physically active.

San Antonio, TX

rosalie — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:48:01 -0600

Between its founding by Catholic missionaries in the early 1700s and its vivid mix of Spanish, German and other cultures, San Antonio is one of the most historic cities in the country. It is also one of the heaviest—a distinction it’s more than ready to shed.

Rochester, NY

rosalie — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:46:39 -0600

Like other Great Lakes cities, Rochester has spent the past several decades confronting a shrinking manufacturing base, job losses and deepening poverty. The health of many residents has suffered as a consequence, and perhaps hardest hit have been residents of the Crescent, as the deteriorating neighborhoods immediately surrounding downtown are known.

Rancho Cucamonga, CA

rosalie — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:33:36 -0600

Rancho Cucamonga originally was a small agricultural community of 50,000 tucked into Southern California’s San Bernardino County. Today, after several decades of rapid growth, it is an ethnically and racially diverse suburban community of 175,000. Vineyards and citrus groves have been replaced by sprawling housing and retail development, including an abundance of unhealthy food outlets.

These environmental changes have helped to create a perfect storm for obesity and related health problems, particularly in the southwest section of the city.

Omaha, NE

rosalie — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:22:51 -0600

With more than 500,000 residents, Omaha easily claims the title of Nebraska’s largest city. During a growth spurt in the 1950s, its middle class left the older eastern end of the city for the developing suburbs to the west. A diverse, largely lower-income population filled the void. Today, this section of Omaha remains has a median household income that is about half that of households in the rest of the city and surrounding Douglas County.

New Orleans, LA

rosalie — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:21:46 -0600

When Hurricane Katrina unleashed its fury along the Gulf Coast in August 2005, Americans watched in horror as the levees protecting New Orleans gave way and devastating floodwaters rushed in. Hundreds of people died; entire neighborhoods were submerged. More than four years later, The Big Easy is still recovering—minus nearly 200,000 residents who evacuated and never returned.

Multnomah County/Portland, OR

rosalie — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:19:20 -0600

From its position in northwest Oregon, Portland might be one of the most mapped cities in the country.

Not in the traditional cartography sense, but through GIS (geographic information system) mapping. In recent years such tracking has detailed the full landscape of Portland’s built environment, from fast food outlets, grocery stores and farmers markets to park entrances, walking routes to schools and transit infrastructure.