Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutEmail - Read Before Packet - 9/23/2014 - Email From Stacey Clark, Cando, University Of Colorado Health, Re: Materials For 9/23 Work Session (Budget)1 Sarah Kane From: Clark, Stacey <Stacey.Clark@uchealth.org> Sent: Tuesday, September 23, 2014 10:22 AM To: City Leaders; Sarah Kane Cc: Barman, Kimberly Subject: Materials for 9/23 Work Session Attachments: BFO Advocacy 2014.pdf; BEWG Fact Sheet 2014.pdf; SRTS_Support_HB 1301.pdf; SRTS_Annual_Report_2013.pdf; proposed SRTS rotation schedules.pdf; Aging in Place_State Survey of Livability Policies Practices.pdf Categories: Timely or Council Packet Item Dear City Council, Please accept the attached informative documents for tonight’s work session. My understanding is that the BFO topic area of Transportation will be discussed and the materials I am sending support three complementary enhancements. Together, they have a high potential for making a difference to the health and wellbeing of our community, ultimately improving health outcomes such as obesity and other risk factors that contribute to a variety of chronic diseases. Thank you for your hard work. Regards, Stacey Clark CanDo, University of Colorado Health Eat Better. Move More. 970-495-7433 stacey.clark@uchealth.org CanDo website Built Environment Work Group After careful deliberation, CanDo and the Built Environment Work Group have identified the importance of the following budget offers for their impact on opportunities for healthy living for all Fort Collins residents including our vulnerable populations: Safe Routes to School Strategic Traffic Infrastructure Program, Safe Routes to School – School Rotation Schedule, and FC Walks Program. Together these enhancements have a huge potential for making a difference and their combined total 2015 cost is only $189,499. These budget offers complement one another in enhancing access to walking, biking and other physical activities for youth, low income residents, and seniors. Data supports how very important this is from a health standpoint. Because we live in the state with the lowest obesity rate in the US (20.5%, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2012), it is even more shocking that during the period between 2004 and 2010, Larimer County experienced a 60.3% increase in the number of obese residents (http://www.larimer.org/compass/overweight_obesity_h_ph.htm). Further, in Larimer County, seniors aged 55-64 had the highest percentage of overweight residents and those 65 and over were a close second (see Table 1). Table 1: Percentage of overweight and obese residents by age group in Larimer County While data for children under 18 years old were not available, childhood obesity is a concern across the nation. (The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has information on childhood obesity.) Lastly, in Colorado 60.2 percent of adults aged 25 years and The mission of the BEWG is to advocate for environments and policies that support physical activity and access to healthy foods for everyone in our community. Health begins where we live, learn, work and play. Availability of and access to nutritious food, decent housing, safe workplaces and homes, walkable neighborhoods, affordable, reliable public transportation, and clean water and air have an impact on our health and are largely impacted by decisions made by our local government National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities, Toolkit for Community Action older with at least a high school education report their health is very good or excellent compared to only 21.9 percent with less than a high school education, resulting in a gap of 38.3 percent (Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2012). The proposed Safe Routes to School (SRTS) enhancements cover both infrastructure and programming and will positively affect young people’s levels of physical activity by increasing their use of active transportation getting to and from school. Further, SRTS can initially focus on schools with the highest free and reduced lunch rates, thereby positively reinforcing active transportation for our most vulnerable populations. While all residents would benefit from the proposed FC Walks program, there is an intended focus on Fort Collins growing senior population and enhancing the city’s ability to provide aging in place solutions for this population. A research report by the National Conference of State Legislatures and the AARP Public Policy Institute touts the importance of increased mobility options for seniors through tactics such as complete streets and other measures to ensure pedestrian safety of older adults, given their increased vulnerability to vehicle and pedestrian fatalities (Aging in Place: A State Survey of Livability Policies and Practices). With so much good work being done for biking in Fort Collins by a diverse array of champions, it is time to complement the FC Bikes program with a FC Walks program. CanDo and BEWG are proud to say that Fort Collins has in fact received the Bronze Level Walk Friendly Communities designation. However, let’s bring our Walkability up to the level of our Platinum Bikability so that all can benefit. Attachments: 1. Built Environment Work Group Fact Sheet 2. SRTS Program Fact Sheet by The CO Health Foundation, Bicycle Colorado, American Heart Association, Live Well Colorado, Children’s Hospital Colorado 3. SRTS Annual Report 2013 4. SRTS Proposed Pedestrian and Bicycle Education Rotation Schedule 5. Aging in Place: A State Survey of Livability Policies and Practices Rank Offer Brief Summary 62 165.3 ENHANCEMENT: Safe Routes to School Strategic Traffic Infrastructure Program 2015: $100,000; 2016: $100,000 This offer funds strategic street and traffic infrastructure improvements to help Fort Collins' K- 12 students walk and/or bike more safely to school. This offer supports the City’s school safety efforts, which include the Safe Routes to School Program housed within the FC Moves Department, and school safety infrastructure installed and maintained by the Traffic Operations Department. Safe Routes to School (SRTS) is a nationwide effort to get more children biking and walking to school to benefit their health, academic achievement and the environment. The goal of the City’s SRTS program is to get at least 50 percent of K-12 students safely biking or walking to school on a regular basis. The SRTS program focuses on Five Es of transportation services: Education, Encouragement, Engineering, Enforcement, and Evaluation. This offer specifically addresses the engineering component of SRTS. This funding will support improvements to transportation infrastructure to eliminate obstacles that discourage children from walking or biking to school. A priority list of needed improvements will guide selection of annual projects. Examples of projects would include: crosswalk improvements, such as pedestrian refuge islands, curb extensions, flashing beacons or pedestrian signals (with an emphasis on safety-related best practices); completion of missing sidewalk segments in school areas; improvements to noncompliant sidewalks in school areas; and elimination of gaps in the bike network near schools through new or improved bike facilities. The SRTS program already works with Traffic Operations, Engineering and Streets to identify safety issues in school areas. Funding from this offer would allow timely, direct response to identified infrastructure issues threatening the safety of K-12 students traveling on foot or by bike to and fromschool. 66 165.2 ENHANCEMENT: Safe Routes to School – School Rotation Schedule 2015: $40,000; 2016: $40,000 This offer implements a school-rotation schedule to ensure regular delivery of Safe Routes to School (SRTS) educational programming to all K-12 students attending public schools in Fort City’s SRTS program, housed within the FC Moves Department, is to get at least 50 percent of K-12 students safely biking or walking to school on a regular basis. The SRTS program focuses on the Five E’s of transportation services: Education, Encouragement, Engineering, Enforcement, and Evaluation. The City’s program emphasizes education, encouragement and evaluation activities, while collaborating with other City departments to address engineering and enforcement issues. The program's current model is to respond to requests from schools and youth organizations and deliver bike-ped safety and encouragement programming based on those requests. We reach up to 14,000 students annually, but these are only students at schools and organizations making a request for programming (thereby missing students at some schools). With additional funding for a systematic school-rotation schedule, we will be able to formalize the SRTS programming so that every student attending public school in Fort Collins learns safe biking and walking skills multiple times at key intervals before high school graduation. The goal of the rotation schedule is to serve every school category (elementary, middle, high) once every three years with an in-depth bike-ped safety program. This gives elementary students one to two years' exposure to SRTS educational programming. The rotation also gives middle-school and high-school students at least one year of programming. 70 2.14 ENHANCEMENT: FC Walks Program – 0.5 FTE 2015: $49,499; 2016: $120,383 This offer funds development of a new program called FC Walks that will focus on citywide walking and pedestrian issues in accordance with the City Council-adopted Pedestrian Plan. FC Walks is modeled after successful walking programs in cities such as San Francisco (Walk San Francisco), and builds upon the programming and brand recognition of the FC Bikes program. The purpose of the program is to elevate the emphasis on walking and pedestrian needs to match that of other modal programs in the City. The addition of a 0.5 FTE hourly FC Walks Coordinator will give the City the opportunity to be a leader in promoting walking, improving sidewalks and other pedestrian infrastructure, addressing safety issues and advancing healthy living. This program will have particular appeal for the growing senior population, as well as families with children and tourists. Vision: Fort Collins is a community where a healthy lifestyle is equally accessible and embraced by all. Mission: To advocate for environments and policies that support physical activity and access to healthy foods for everyone in our community. Goals: Raise awareness of the link between health and the built environment Engage community members in advocating for environments that promote healthy eating and active living Why we care: The obesity rate in our community doubled from 1990-20001 and continues to be on the rise. 76% of Coloradans will be overweight or obese by 2020 if current trends continue. 2 Half of Fort Collins adults do not get enough exercise. 3 While we are the leanest state in the nation when it comes to adults, our kids rank an alarming 29th.4 Colorado Latinos suffer from diabetes at twice the rate of the state average. 5 Hispanic children in Colorado are 3 times more likely to be obese than their white counterparts. 6 Colorado Hispanics and Latinos have the lowest rate of physical activity (with 35% reporting no physical activity in the last 30 days other than the workplace) compared to 16% of whites & 25% of African Americans.7 1. Colorado Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey; 2. COPAN 2010 State Plan; 3. Health District of Northern Larimer County Community Health Survey; 4. RWJF and Trust for America’s Health 2011 Report; 5. Office of Health Disparities; 6. CDC National Survey of Children’s Health, 2012; 7. 2011- 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System CanDo CanDo@UCHealth.org 970-495-7433 www.CanDoOnline.org Building a Healthier Fort Collins What is the built environment? buildings, parks, public spaces, and transportation infrastructure These elements have a large impact on our ability to access physical activity and healthy foods. Like most communities, Fort Collins has some room for improvement. Unlike most, we are taking steps to ensure that all residents have a say in the design and building of our community. Built Environment Work Group “Although ultimately it is individuals who must change their behavior, individuals need environments and policies that support the health behavior that they are attempting…” - Kolasa, K et al. Moving Toward Healthier-Eating Environments…Nutrition Today March/April 2010 Contact: Travis Berry, 303-560-2628 Bicycle Colorado Ruth Aponte 303-907-1980 or Sara Odendahl 303-506-2348, LiveWell Colorado Kayla McGannon 303-648-1165 & Erin Silver 303-921-0402, The Colorado Health Foundation Adam Eichberg 303-290-6430, Sol Malick 303-960-5757 or Brett Moore 303-900-8154, American Heart Association Support HB 1301: Safe Routes to School Program Funding Education and Infrastructure for our Local Communities March 4, 2014 What is Safe Routes to School? For the past nine years, students around the state have benefited from the program created by the 2005 General Assembly (Brophy/Tupa), administered by CDOT and funded by federal safe routes to school funds. Over $14 million has been distributed through a competitive grant program to local communities for both education and infrastructure. 40 years ago, about 50% of all kids walked or biked to school, now only 15% bike and walk. The primary goal of Safe Routes to School is to get more children in grades K‐8 to walk and bike to school and increase the safety of doing so. Grants are given to local governments, school districts and police departments to implement a variety of strategies. Examples of SRTS programs include: walking school buses, bike skill programs, installation of crosswalks and traffic signals, and designation of bike lanes and continuous bike routes. One unique example on the Eastern plains, a school instituted an alternative drop site for school buses so children could experience walking to school with their peers. The Colorado Department of Transportation awards the last grants to schools and local governments in 2014. In order to maintain the SRTS program, legislation with associated state funding is necessary. Why is the Safe Route to School Program Important? SRTS programs can improve safety, not just for children, but for the entire community. It provides opportunities for people to increase their physical activity and improve their health. It reduces congestion and pollution around our schools and encourages partnerships. Safety for Children and Support for Active Lifestyle This is the primary CDOT program focused on children’s safety while they are biking or walking. 2012 saw a six- year high for pedestrian fatalities in Colorado. This safety program is needed to help reverse that trend. Getting daily exercise, like walking to school, helps prevent childhood obesity and reduce health costs. Reducing Congestion CDOT reports that around 25% of all traffic congestion in the morning is due to driving students to school, contributing to poor air quality around schools and increased rates of childhood obesity. Helping students to regularly walk and bike to school helps unclog roads for business trips and helps reduce the risk of obesity related diseases. SRTS Success Stories • CDOT reports 95% of Colorado schools receiving funding saw a positive increase in students walking and biking to school. • Some schools saw increases as high at 31% over pre-program levels. • More than 500 schools statewide (more than 60 new schools per year) benefit from the program, equating to 18,000 kids in 2012-13. Contact: Travis Berry, 303-560-2628 Bicycle Colorado Ruth Aponte 303-907-1980 or Sara Odendahl 303-506-2348, LiveWell Colorado Kayla McGannon 303-648-1165 & Erin Silver 303-921-0402, The Colorado Health Foundation Adam Eichberg 303-290-6430, Sol Malick 303-960-5757 or Brett Moore 303-900-8154, American Heart Association Student Outcomes Studies indicate that students with higher levels of physical activity may have higher levels of academic performance (Trudeau, et al., 2008). Data also suggests that heavier children have greater risk for school absenteeism than their normal-weight peers (Geier, et al, 2007). Safe routes to school help get daily activity into children’s lives. 2013 CDOT Funded Projects Grantee Funding Amount Grant Type City of Fort Collins $244,903 Infrastructure Boulder County $238,887 Infrastructure City of Colorado Springs $195,519 Infrastructure Town of Windsor $120,346 Infrastructure City of Cripple Creek $250,000 Infrastructure Town of Granada $136,526 Infrastructure Lake County School District $5,755 Education Jefferson County Public Schools $50,880 Education City of Boulder $68,936 Education City of Grand Junction $26,940 Education Littleton Public Schools $23,360 Education City of Fort Collins $22,700 Education Denver Public Health $117,391 Education West Metro Fire Rescue $14,857 Education Supporting Organizations American Heart Association Bicycle Colorado Children’s Hospital Colorado Colorado Children’s Campaign Colorado Association of Health, PE, Recreation and Dance Kaiser Permanente LiveWell Colorado National Safe Routes to School Partnership Padres & Jovenes Unidos The Colorado Health Foundation 2013 Annual Report Safe Routes to School Program FC Moves Department, City of Fort Collins Background Safe Routes to School is a nationwide effort to get more children biking and walking to school for their health, the environment, and academic achievement. The City of Fort Collins Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program is administered by an SRTS coordinator (0.75 FTE) housed within the FC Moves Department. Our goal is to get at least 50 percent of K–12 schoolchildren biking or walking to school on a regular basis. Funding is provided by the Keep Fort Collins Great (KFCG) tax initiative and grants from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), BNSF Railway, and other sources. Major program partners include Poudre School District (PSD); Bike Fort Collins; Healthier Communities Coalition; Safe Kids Larimer County; Bicycle and Pedestrian Education Coalition (BPEC) and its member organizations; local bike shops and other businesses; and several City departments, including Police Services, Engineering, Traffic Operations, Environmental Services, and Recreation. Information on Safe Routes to School is available at fcgov.com/saferoutes, coloradodot.info/programs/bikeped/safe-routes, saferoutesinfo.org, and saferoutespartnership.org. Education and Encouragement Activities • Education and encouragement activities for Fort Collins K–12 students and preschoolers were delivered by the SRTS coordinator and through contracted services by Bike Fort Collins. This programming reached an estimated 13,907 students and 1,983 adults in 2013. Of this number, 5,828 students received a high-quality educational contact with an SRTS instructor; these high-quality contacts came in the form of helmet fittings (and free helmets), bike-ped safety education in PE classes and after-school programs, Family Bike Rodeos, bike field trips, walking school buses, and similar activities. A total of 36 PSD schools were served by SRTS in 2013; in addition, SRTS served public and private preschools as well as community organizations such as La Familia, Boy Scouts, and BASECamp. High-quality adult educational contacts came in the form of train-the-trainer workshops. A total of 102 adults received in-depth SRTS training in 2013. • The Safe Kids Larimer County Strap & Snap program, an SRTS partner organization, reached an additional 1,898 PSD third-graders with helmet-safety instruction during the year. • Informational presentations were given to nine PTOs/PTAs or school wellness teams. In addition, presentations were given at the PSD Wellness Advisory Committee Annual Retreat and the PSD Annual Wellness Workshop. • More than 900 free bike helmets were provided to students and parents in the community. • New bike rodeo kits specific to SRTS instruction at both elementary schools and middle schools were created. • The local SRTS curriculum document was updated for a November train-the-trainer workshop. • The SRTS coordinator helped the FC Bikes program by teaching Traffic Skills 101 courses in January, February/ March, April, May, and May/June. • The SRTS coordinator wrote the following BPEC columns published in the Coloradoan: “Tips for Determining the Best Route to School for Your Child” (1/27/13) and “Cycling Challenge Allows You to Roll with the Pros” (8/5/13). • The SRTS coordinator gave the following community presentations: “How to Be a Fan of Pro Road Racing” (in conjunction with USAPC Challenge) and “Where to Ride in Fort Collins” and “Basic Bike Maintenance” (twice) for Health District of Northern Colorado employees. • The SRTS coordinator gave two interviews on KRFC radio for the Community Checkup show: “What Is Safe Routes to School?” and “How to Get the Most out of the USAPC Event.” • The coordinator gave a national webinar for the Safe Routes to School National Partnership titled “SRTS as a Function of Municipal Transportation.” • Technical assistance was provided to the Larimer County Health Department regarding implementation of its CDOT SRTS non-infrastructure grant. • A motorist awareness campaign was conducted at start of 2013–14 school year titled “Look Out for Kids Biking and Walking” (on Tranfort benches in vicinity of schools). Engineering Activities • PSD Facilities worked with SRTS to plan for installation of 40 new grant-funded bike racks. • The City’s Engineering and Traffic Operations department helped plan a new grant-funded multi-use trail serving Tavelli Elementary. • Traffic Operations coordinated many SRTS-related projects, including the following: existing ped signal converted to Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon at Shields and Akin (Lab Elementary School); new radar speed displays on Hinsdale to mitigate traffic and restriped road to accommodate two-way reversible lane for left-turning traffic into school parking lot (McGraw Elementary); new school crossing via signs and pavement markings at Rock Creek and Country Squire (Preston Middle School); converted existing school flashers to radar speed display on Vine at Lancer (Lincoln Middle School). • The Engineering Department completed a Pedestrian Needs Assessment, with priority given to sidewalk improvements near schools; numerous engineering projects benefited bicyclists and pedestrians, including the Spring Creek Overpass and Troutman Underpass along the Mason corridor. • A bike-ped bridge was replaced over ditch in Indian Hills neighborhood. • Traffic Ops helped plan for an update of the SRTS bike-walk suitability audit tool used at schools. • SRTS input was provided for various City initiatives, including the Pedestrian Needs Assessment, Trails Master Plan, East Elizabeth Restriping Project, and other engineering-related road projects. Enforcement Activities • Fort Collins Police and School Resource Officers assisted with SRTS-related enforcement in school areas. Police Services helped update a Fort Collins Bike Laws brochure used in SRTS programming. • The FC Moves Department continued funding of the PSD Crossing Guard Program, administered by PSD. Evaluation Activities • SRTS received approval from PSD Research and Evaluation Office to conduct tallies/surveys required by grants. • Mode-of-transportation tallies and parent pre-training and/or post-training surveys were administered, collected, and delivered to National Center for Safe Routes to School for schools receiving grant-funded SRTS activities in 2013. • Feedback was solicited and received from PE teachers and train-the-trainer workshop participants, to help improve programming. • Feedback was provided to Bike Fort Collins relating to its contractual services. Program Administration • The program’s budget for 2013 included $74,000 in KFCG funding plus approximately $110,000 in grants. • Routine administrative functions included grants administration, including budget management, subcontractor oversight, and reporting. A final report for the 2011–12 SRTS grant was written and submitted to CDOT. • On Sept. 3, City Council approved appropriation of new grant revenue and a contract agreement with CDOT for a 2013–14 Non-infrastructure Grant for education and encouragement ($22,700). This grant required 20% matching funds, sourced from the SRTS operational budget ($5,675). • The program received notification from CDOT about award of a 2013–14 Infrastructure Grant to build new multi-use path for Tavelli Elementary ($244,903). This grant requires 20% matching funds, to be provided by PSD Facilities (up to $70,000). • The coordinator wrote and submitted a 2014–15 CDOT SRTS Non-infrastructure Grant proposal ($25,822). • The program received a $10,000 grant from BNSF Railway, presented at the USA Pro Challenge event in Fort Collins. • The SRTS bike fleet was delivered to schools/events where needed; fifteen new bikes were added to the SRTS fleet, bringing total to 53 bikes. • The coordinator attended a mandatory CDOT SRTS grantee training in June 2013 (with Rob Mosbey from Engineering) for the 2013–14 non-infrastructure and infrastructure grants. The coordinator also attended Safe Kids Larimer County’s “Strap-n-Snap” training, the Colorado Bike Summit/Winter SRTS Rally, and the Safe Routes to School National Conference. • The coordinator served on the following committees: Bicycle and Pedestrian Education Coalition (BPEC), Built Environment Work Group, Poudre River/Spring Creek Trail Wayfinding Task Force, Rocky Mountain High School Wellness Team, and Healthier Communities Coalition Council. • The coordinator established and chaired meetings of a new PSD SRTS Steering Committee. • The coordinator assisted with the City’s successful Platinum Bicycle Friendly Community application. • The coordinator participated in the City’s EPA bike-sharing workshop. • The coordinator participated in the interview process for a new FC Moves program manager (Paul Sizemore) and FC Bikes program manager (Tessa Greegor). • A new SRTS brochure was created, and the SRTS Coordinator Procedures Manual was updated. • The coordinator maintained/updated the SRTS program website, fcgov.com/saferoutes. • The coordinator responded to SRTS-related inquiries from schools, parents, and public. Report prepared by: Nancy Nichols, SRTS Coordinator, nnichols@fcgov.com, 970.416.2357, fcgov.com/saferoutes. Note: Dee Colombini served as temporary SRTS coordinator from Sept. 9 to Nov. 22, 2013. NOTE: THIS IS A DRAFT DOCUMENT FOR A PROPOSED SCHEDULE THAT HAS YET TO BE IMPLEMENTED. Proposed School Rotation Schedule: SRTS Bike-Ped Safety Education Rotation focuses on K-12 public schools in Fort Collins; assistance also provided (by request) to private K-12 schools and public/private preschools as well as youth organizations. 2015 2016 2017 PSD K-5 (11 schools, 4,800 students) PSD/Thompson K-5 (11 schools, 4,500 students) PSD K-5 (11 schools, 4,700 students) Irish Cottonwood Plains (Thompson) Bacon Laurel Coyote Ridge (Thompson) Bennett Linton Johnson Dunn O'Dea Lab Harris Putnam Lopez Kruse Tavelli McGraw Riffenburgh Werner Zach Shepardson Note: Bauder, Beattie, Olander and Traut receive bike-ped ed every year presented by PE teacher. Fullana Learning Center (preschool) also leads its own Family Bike Rodeo every year, with assistance from SRTS. These schools included in student total. PSD Middle (two schools, 1,500 students) PSD Middle (two schools. 1,900 students) PSD Middle (3 schools, 1,700 students) Kinard Preston Blevins Lesher Webber Boltz Lincoln PSD High School* (est. 500 students) PSD High School (est. 500 students) PSD High School (est. 500 students) Centennial Polaris RMHS Fossil Ridge Poudre FCHS Liberty Common Poudre Community Academy Ridgeview Classical Charter/Alternative School (600 students) Charter School (600 students) Charter School (400 students) Liberty Common (K-6) Ridgeview Classical (K-8) Mountain Sage (K-5) PSD Options (K-8) PSD Global (K-12) TOTAL: 7,400 TOTAL: 7,500 TOTAL: 7,500 Note: Goal is to hit every school category (K-5, middle, high) once every three years with in-depth SRTS bike-ped program. This gives K-5 children one to two years' exposure to in-depth program, plus Strap-n-Snap in third grade and SRTS bike-safety assembly in fifth grade. This rotation also gives middle-school students and high-school students at least one year of SRTS programming. Individual students may participate in many additional bike-ped activities, such as International Walk to School Day, National Bike to School Day, school walkathons/triathlons, biking/walking clubs, bike-ped assemblies, Family Bike Rodeos, biking/walking field trips, BASECamp bike-ped activities, and other SRTS-related activities in the community. The newest charter school, Fort Collins Montessori School, to be added to rotation schedule after school is operational. * High-school program takes the form of TS101, High School Bicycle Ambassadors, or other more advanced (adult-level) programming. Unlike at K-12 schools, these students would opt in to programming; therefore listed participation rate is estimate. In Brief This In Brief summarizes a new research report, Aging in Place: A State Survey of Livability Policies and Practices, written by the National Conference of State Legislatures with the AARP Public Policy Institute. Nearly 90 percent of people over age 65 want to stay in their home for as long as possible, and 80 percent believe their current residence is where they will always live. However, for older adults to age in place, their physical and service environment must be accommodating. Findings This report identifies the following land use, transportation, and housing policies as well as promising state practices that enable aging in place. 1. Land Use: Certain land use policies can help older adults live closer to or within walking distance of the services they need. • Integrating land use and transportation planning to reduce reliance on automobile travel. California, Florida, and Washington are among the states with statutes requiring this. • • Implementing transit-oriented development within a quarter- or a half-mile from a transit stop. Statutes in at least 12 states, including California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Utah, address this issue. Encouraging joint use of community facilities such as a senior center or health clinic in a school. Promising practices include those in California and Wyoming. 2. Transportation: Increased mobility options can reduce reliance on transportation by personal car. • • Designing “Complete Streets” to enable all users, regardless of age or ability, to get to where they want to go. Twenty- five states plus D.C. and Puerto Rico have complete streets policies, 16 of which state legislatures enacted. Ensuring pedestrian safety given the vulnerability of older adults in vehicle The vast majority of older adults want to age in place, so they can continue to live in their own homes or communities. As the older population grows, the degree to which it can participate in community life and reach needed services will be determined, in part, by how communities are designed. This report examines state policies that can help older adults age in place. These policies include integrating land use, housing and transportation; efficiently delivering services in the home; providing more transportation choices, particularly for older adults who no longer drive; and improving affordable, accessible housing to prevent social isolation. Aging in Place: A State Survey of Livability Policies and Practices and pedestrian fatalities. At least 10 states have considered “vulnerable users” laws within the past five years to better protect pedestrians and bicyclists. • • • Ensuring access to services in rural areas. States such as Idaho and Montana have policies that address access to services for people who live a significant distance from city centers. Improving human service transportation coordination to more efficiently use limited resources. Twenty-eight states have coordinating councils, 14 of which were created by statute and 14 by governor’s executive order or initiative. Enacting volunteer driver laws to protect volunteer drivers from civil liability. Only Georgia and Oregon explicitly protect volunteer drivers. 3. Housing: Affordable, accessible housing can decrease institutionalization and meet consumer demand. • • • Accessing the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program to leverage funds for development of housing near transit and in livable community settings. These states include Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, and New Jersey. Encouraging developers to use building standards that promote accessibility. At least three states—Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Texas—have these statutes. Promoting aging in place by supporting neighborhoods with large populations of older adults involved in social and community life. Promising practices include models to provide services at home such as Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities and Communities for a Lifetime. Conclusion State legislators will continue to grapple with the challenges and opportunities presented by significant growth in the older adult population. Without changes in how communities are constructed and services are delivered, older adults may find it increasingly difficult to live in their communities and may have to consider institutional care. This could mean increased costs for states. State policy makers may consider the above strategies to facilitate aging in place, which people overwhelmingly prefer. In Brief 190, December 2011 This In Brief is a synopsis of the AARP Public Policy Institute and National Conference of State Legislatures Research Report of the same title, number 2011-13, by: Nicholas Farber, JD Douglas Shinkle National Conference of State Legislatures Jana Lynott, AICP Wendy Fox-Grage Rodney Harrell, PhD AARP Public Policy Institute AARP Public Policy Institute 601 E Street, NW, Washington, DC 20049 www.aarp.org/ppi 202-434-3890, ppi@aarp.org © 2011, AARP. Reprinting with permission only. Aging in Place: A State Survey of Livability Policies and Practices AARP Public Policy Institute A Research Report by the National Conference of State Legislatures and the AARP Public Policy Institute Collins (Poudre School District and Thompson School District). Funding would be used to contract with a local nonprofit to deliver the programming and to provide necessary equipment and materials. SRTS is a nationwide effort to get more children biking and walking to school to benefit their health, academic achievement and the environment. The goal of the