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Community health and trail programs

Cities, towns, and recreation agencies are working creatively to promote trails and health, and involve the public in active living.

Three articles on communities promoting trails for health

Community Design and Transportation Policies: New Ways to Promote Physical Activity by Richard E. Killingsworth and Thomas L. Schmid

Community Efforts, Community Health: Seven tips for creating successful health partnerships

For the Health Community: what you should know about trail and greenway building

U. S. Conference of Mayors adopts "Complete Streets"

Why Johnny Can't Walk to School: historic neighborhood schools in the age of sprawl, Oct. 2002 (pdf 368 kb), from National Parks Service and National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Trails, places to exercise, streetlights can boost activity levels: University of North Carolina study

Planning Healthier Suburbs, Where Cars Sit Idle and People Get Moving, by Jane E. Brody

Communities and states in action

CA: Redding, creates Trails for Life! Collaborative to promote trail development

CA: Parks for Health, funded by The California Endowment, explores how Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area in the Baldwin Hills can address serious health issues of the surrounding African American and Latino communities.

GA: Healthy People Atlanta is promoting trails as a way to improve the health of the citizens in Atlanta, along with weight loss, healthy eating, and stress reduction

ME :Healthy Maine Partnerships published a report on community health efforts, with several that include trail activities: October 2003 Healthy Maine Partnerships newsletter (pdf 576 kb)

ME: Healthy Maine Walks provides a central location for towns and local groups to register walks, which are made available for those interested in locating places to walk.

NJ: Meeting the Needs of New Jersey: Providing Access to Public Places for Recreation & Health (pdf 432 kb)

TX: Texas Department of Health Helping People Find the Trail to Physical Fitness

Aus:Encouraging Walking in Whitehorse, Australia

OUR GOALS: American Trails is focusing on the issue of improving health through outdoor recreation, along with many others in the trails community. As public agencies have "discovered" the problem of an increasingly sedentary and overweight America, it is even more important for trails activists to get involved. Read more...

More help with Trails & Health:

• Programs
• Resources
• Projects and studies

Related topics:

Accessible trails
Benefits of trails
Bike/Ped facilities
Economics
Greenways
Planning
Rails to Trails

More resources:

Cool trail solutions
Bibliography
Quotations
Glossary
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Tools
Products & services

For more opportunities for training on trail design, construction, and management see the National Trails Training Partnership area.