Using the Tool

• Conduct focus group discussions or form a working group composed of local officials, interested residents, health providers, schools, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and other potential partners to discuss creating an active living campaign. The working group or lead point person should consider:
  • Scale of the campaign: Should it be a multipronged approach dealing with many issues related to public health (fitness, healthy food education, and physical incentives for active living including transportation and recreation) or a smaller effort focusing on one aspect such as safe, active routes to schools?
  • What partners should be involved: Will the active living campaign work with existing organizations focused on promoting healthy and active lifestyles (i.e. Active Living by Design or Eat Smart Move More NC)? Will a major hospital or healthcare consortium help with sponsorship?
  • Funding strategies: These can include existing grants, fundraising, sponsorships, and alternative funding options to finance marketing campaigns or specific projects.
  • Marketing and Communications: Who is the target audience, and how can they best be reached?  Is it community-wide or more focused?  .
• Review your existing comprehensive plan and land use regulations and consider updating, as needed, to support healthy communities. Communities can add health goals, strategies, and actions to comprehensive plans through the use of Health Impact Assessments (HIAs). In addition, as a powerful land use tool, zoning can help promote or discourage active living as it addresses density, mix of uses, and street connectivity. Potential updates include:
  • Review comprehensive plan goals and strategies, and consider adding policies to promote recreational access and physical activity, fresh foods, and collaboration with public health organizations.
  • Revise or create mixed-use zones to establish minimum, rather than maximum, residential densities.
  • Develop design guidelines and standards for pedestrian corridors that support safe walking and biking.
• Consider joining the Let’s Move Cities, Towns, and Counties Campaign of the National League of Cities. Benefits include national recognition, access to technical assistance, inventory of best practices, and the opportunity to participate in a national movement to build healthier communities.
• Create a communitywide needs assessment of local play spaces and parks and develop policies, programs, or initiatives that will improve opportunities for access and physical activity at local parks. Bear in mind that park access has been shown to not only improve health, but also to increase property values.
• Provide marketing and policy support which could include help applying for grant funding or marketing materials and outreach events to help garner public support.