You zip code is a better indicator of health and well-being than your genetic code. Time and time again, research demonstrates that neighborhood infrastructure and surroundings influence health and life expectancy. That’s why SLHI has been working for several years to implement strategies that promote good health in the places where we live, learn, work and play. In FY2014, we made significant progress with our Complete Streets and Reinvent PHX work. In FY2015, more milestones were reached.
- The July 2, 2014 passage of Complete Streets Ordinances triggered creation of a Complete Streets Advisory Board. Our work to that point earned SLHI staff a position on the Board, which was formally seated in November 2015. Since then significant work has been completed on Design Guidelines that are currently under discussion with City Council subcommittees.
- Health Impact Assessments have been completed for all five Reinvent PHX districts. Recommendations were consolidated into comprehensive district plans that were approved by Phoenix City Council on May 27 and June 3, 2015.
- As a result of the Reinvent PHX work, City Council considered and approved a Walkable Urban Form Code on July 1, 2015 that focuses on creating active, walkable, healthy neighborhoods.
SLHI’s continuing work with City of Phoenix staff led to the formation of a City of Phoenix Health Team, with city staff from a variety of departments. The group meets regularly to better understand Health in All Policies and how the decisions of their respective departments – such as transportation or neighborhood services – can have an impact on health.
Work completed so far can serve as a launching point for context-specific solutions statewide. With that in mind, SLHI dedicated efforts in FY2015 to create broader dialogue and share lessons learned:
- In December 2014 we released Community Gardens: Your guide to Understanding, Starting and Sustaining a Community Garden in your Neighborhood. It contains a compilation of direct lessons and secondary research into best practices and methods.
- To help people understand the work, we produced a short Reinvent PHX explainer video with interviews of key players and citizens from each district.
- SLHI initiated a partnership with the Arizona League of Cities and Towns to deliver a webinar series. In FY2015, we delivered:
- What About All These Community Gardens? – a 90-minute presentation and discussion featuring a breadth of approaches from Phoenix, Payson and Flagstaff.
- Walkable, Bikable Communities in Arizona – a 90-minute dialogue spotlighting the work of Avondale, Phoenix, Tucson, Tempe and Pinetop-Lakeside.
Arizona can be proud of a burgeoning movement to make smarter decisions about how we build and refine our cities and towns – one that spurs economic vitality while it also contributes to improving health.