Parks, Trails and Health Resources

The Healthy Community Design Initiative, also known as the Built Environment and Health Initiative, is no longer a funded program and the information on this website is not being reviewed and updated on a regular basis.

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Parks, Trails and Health Tools

• Parks, Trails and Health: A Tool for Planners, Parks & Recreational Professionals, and Health Practitioners – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention & National Park Service
  http://www.cy118119.com/healthyplaces/healthtopics/parks_trails_workbook.htm
• Parks and Trails Health Impact Assessment (HIA) Toolkit – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  http://www.cy118119.com/healthyplaces/parks_trails/default.htm
• From Fitness Zones to the Medical Mile: How Urban Park Systems Can Best Promote Health and Wellness – Trust for Public Lands
  http://cloud.tpl.org/pubs/ccpe-health-promoting-parks-rpt.pdf [PDF – 1.5 MB]
• National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (Access to Parks) – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  http://ephtracking.cdc.gov/portal?query=FD0B8C1E-6C81-E1D0-D703-F30D5B526438
• ParkScore – Trust for Public Land
  http://parkscore.tpl.org/
• Park Info Park Finder – GreenInfo Network
  http://www.greeninfo.org/products/parkinfo

Health and Physical Activity

• Physical Activity Guidelines – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  http://www.cy118119.com/physicalactivity/everyone/guidelines/index.html
• 2014 State Indicator Report on Physical Activity – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  http://www.cy118119.com/physicalactivity/features/neighborhood-support-pa.html?utm_source=July+2014&utm_campaign=JulyNews&utm_medium=email
• Community Guide to Preventive Services – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  Recommendations for promoting physical activity
  http://www.thecommunityguide.org/pa/index.html
  Environmental and policy recommendations
  http://www.thecommunityguide.org/pa/environmental-policy/index.html
• Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Midcourse Report: Strategies to Increase Physical Activity Among Youth – U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  http://www.health.gov/paguidelines/midcourse/pag-mid-course-report-final.pdf [PDF – 2.2 MB]

Parks and Public Health

• National Recreation and Park Association Research Papers
• Children’s Health and Nature Exposure – National Environmental Education Foundation
  http://www.neefusa.org/health/children_nature/resources.htm
  http://www.neefusa.org/health/children_nature.htm
• Green Cities: Good Health – University of Washington
  http://depts.washington.edu/hhwb/Thm_ActiveLiving.html
• The National Parks and Public Health: A National Parks Service Healthy Parks, Healthy People Science Plan 2013
  http://www.nps.gov/public_health/hp/hphp/press/HPHP_Science%20Plan_accessible%20version.final.23.july.2013.pdf [PDF – 12.4 MB]
• Urban River Parkways: An Essential Tool for Public Health
  http://ehs.ph.ucla.edu/news/new-report-coeh-underscores-public-health-benefits-urban-river-parkways
• Active Living Research
  • Parks, Playgrounds and Active Living
  • Recreation Facilities, Parks, Trails, Playgrounds, and Open Space – Research Summary Slides
• Landscape and Human Health Laboratory – University of Illinois
  http://lhhl.illinois.edu/
• Green Exercise – University of Essex
  http://www.greenexercise.org/index.html
• America’s Great Outdoors – U.S. Department of the Interior
  http://americasgreatoutdoors.gov/report
• Time Out- How Much Time Do Kids Spend Outdoors – Natural Inquirer
  http://www.naturalinquirer.org/Time-Out–How-Much-Time-Do-Kids-Spend-Outdoors-i-34.html
• Children and Nature Network
  http://www.scribd.com/childrenandnature/collections
  http://www.childrenandnature.org/research/
• National Recreation and Park Association Safe Routes to Parks Guide
  http://www.nrpa.org/Grants-and-Partners/Recreation-and-Health/Walking-Initiatives/
• American Planning Association
  • Webinar: Safe Routes to Parks in Your Community
    https://www.planning.org/nationalcenters/health/webinars/
  • Fact Sheet: Safe Routes to Parks
    https://www.planning.org/nationalcenters/health/toolsforhealth/pdf/saferoutestoparks.pdf [PDF – 512 KB]

National Park and Recreation Organizations

• National Recreation and Park Association
  http://www.nrpa.org/
• City Parks Alliance
  http://www.cityparksalliance.org
• Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals
  http://www.recpro.org/
• Trust for Public Land
  http://www.tpl.org
• National Park Service; Rivers, Trails, Conservation Assistance Program
  http://www.nps.gov/rtca

Green Infrastructure

• American Society of Landscape Architects
  http://www.asla.org/greeninfrastructure.aspx
• Landscape Architecture Foundation Landscape Performance Series
  http://landscapeperformance.org/
• GreenInfo Network
  http://www.greeninfo.org/
• i-Tree
  http://www.itreetools.org/about.php
• Sustainable Sites Initiative
  http://www.sustainablesites.org/