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Institute for Local Government
Promoting Good Government at the Local Level
ILG is the research and education affiliate of the California State Association of Counties and the League of California Cities.

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DOCUMENTS & RESOURCES

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Rural Obesity: Strategies to Support Rural Counties in Building Capacity
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Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity
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Community Design: A toolkit for building physical activity into daily life
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Healthy Planning Policies: A Compendium from CA General Plans
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Public Participation in Planning for Health

Related Links

Involving the Public in Healthy Neighborhood PlanningCommunities for Healthy KidsThe Healthy Development Measurement Tool

Related Topics

  • health
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What Makes a Neighborhood Healthy?

Healthy neighborhoods provide:

  • Places where walking and bicycling are safe and convenient and where residents of all ages and abilities have the opportunity to be physically active.
  • Nutritious, fresh, culturally appropriate food – grown locally whenever possible – is affordable and accessible, promoting health and boosting the local economy.
  • Residents aren’t exposed to environmental hazards or pollutants that endanger their present or future health or well-being.

ILG’s Healthy Neighborhoods website provides current, relevant resources to aid in adapting general policies and strategies to reverse the negative trends related to physical inactivity, unhealthy eating, and environmental hazards.

Resource Areas Include

  • Health, Economic Development and Redevelopment
  • Health and Housing
  • Health and Community Services
  • Health, Planning and Community Development
  • Health and Public Safety
  • Health, Transportation and Mobility
  • Healthy Workplaces

Related Institute Programs

  • Communities for Healthy Kids (CHK)
  • California Climate Action Network (CCAN)
  • Collaborative Governance Initiative (CGI)
  • Land Use and Environment

Resources to Support Your Efforts

  • NACO Healthy Counties Database Search a database of policies, programs and initiatives organized by topic area that counties across the nation are using to promote wellness and prevent childhood obesity.
  • NCSL Healthy Community Design and Access to Healthy Food Legislation Database Past and current state legislation organized by bill type, year, state and topic complete with bill summary, author, and status.
  • ENACT local nutrition and physical activity policy database The Environmental Nutrition and Activity Community Tool (ENACT) and searchable policy database contains model policies from around the nation and provides a brief description of each policy, contact information, and health implications of the policy.
  • NACO Healthy Counties Program The National Association of Counties' Healthy Counties Program provides training, education, and resource tools to support officials in taking a leadership role in improving community health.
  • Rural Obesity: Strategies to Support Rural Counties in Building Capacity A description of NACO's Rural Obesity Initiative, a presentation of the lessons learned from the project, as well as a description of the unique nature of obesity in rural America and the challenges of implementing commonly promoted policies and practices in these areas.
  • Promising Strategies for Creating Healthy Eating and Active Living Environments This document provides a comprehensive and cross-cutting review of policy, strategy, and program recommendations to realize the vision of healthy people in healthy places.
  • Healthy Community Design, LEED ND and Healthy Neighborhoods LEED-ND is a rating system in collaboration among the U.S. Green Building Council, the Congress for the New Urbanism, and the Natural Resources Defense Council. LEED-ND encourages neighborhood development projects that protect and enhance the overall health, natural environment, and quality of life of communities and promotes the location and design of neighborhoods that reduce auto dependence by providing jobs and services that are accessible by foot, bicycle or public transit.
  • Community Design: A Toolkit for Building Physical Activity in to Daily Life This toolkit organizes tools and strategies through a framework of nine principles for community design that increase physical activity, informed by four key environmental features correlated with active transportation (density, street pattern, mixed use, and pedestrian infrastructure).

Contact

Steve Sanders
Program Director, Healthy Neighborhoods/Land Use and Environment
E-mail Steve

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“It is unreasonable to expect
that people will change their
behavior so easily
when so many forces in the
social, cultural, and physical
environment
conspire against change.

If successful programs are to be
developed to prevent disease
and improve health,
attention must be given not only
to the behavior of individuals,
but also to the environmental
context within which people live."

-Institute of Medicine

 
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