State of the Region
Making Our Lives Healthier
The focus of MORPC's 2010 State of the Region report is about making our lives healthier, and communities across the nation and throughout our region are working on doing just that. Research and statistics are pointing out the importance of incorporating health considerations into community design and policies.
Efforts are being made at all scales of geography, from nationwide to local. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute launched County Health Rankings in early 2010, which provide county-by-county health rankings data on personal and community health issues.
MORPC’s Complete Streets Policy is an example of how to incorporate health into community planning. The policy encourages and supports “active transportation” by including transit, biking and walking in roadway designs to safely and comfortably accommodate all users. Ready and safe access to transit can motivate people to walk to the bus. Bikeways and sidewalks that are in good repair can be encouragement for people to run errands without using their cars, leading to increased exercise and better health.
The Franklin County Physical Activity Plan: 2010 – 2014 is an effort to build momentum to support physical activity in Franklin County. The plan challenges professionals working in the community, schools, business and transportation sectors to promote physical activity through systems, environment, and policy change.
The vision of MORPC’s Local Food Assessment and Plan is that safe, healthy and affordable local foods are easily and equally accessible to everyone in Central Ohio and distributed through a system that promotes sustainable farming practices and resilience in the region. The Plan describes ways that the vision can be achieved.
Another way to incorporate health into community planning is to consider using Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) as part of development reviews. The National Center for Environmental Health explains that HIAs “can be used to evaluate objectively the potential health effects of a project or policy before it is built or implemented. It can provide recommendations to increase positive health outcomes and minimize adverse health outcomes.”
MORPC’s 2010 State of the Region Report highlights health-related indicators for the 12 central Ohio counties, organized into three categories: People, Place and Prosperity. This resource is designed to help you and the residents, visitors and decision makers of central Ohio gauge the strengths and weaknesses of the region’s health. Together, we can set the stage for integrating health benefits into planning processes and policymaking endeavors throughout our region.
