A New Role for Public Health in Transportation Creating and Supporting Community Models for Active Transportation

The inclusion of public health in city planning and transportation is most recently consistent with traditional city planning applications such as environmental health impacts of development. The focus of this paper is to articulate the role of public health in transportation and the potential health impacts offered through a transportation system that supports active living and provides more choices for people to be physically active. A new vision of health promoting communities and active transportation is possible. Research has begun to show that built environments do have an impact on our travel and physical activity choices. It is evident that this area is rich with opportunities for research, policy development and interventions to promote health. Partnering on these efforts will not only enhance our knowledge and develop a new paradigm for practice and research, but will be a vital strategy in efforts to foster healthier communities and more physical active people.