Places for Physical Activity | Strategies for Communities
Places for Physical Activity are strategies recommended by the Task Force for Community Preventive Services and promoted by the CDC. These strategies enhance opportunities for both active transportation (walking, biking, etc.) and leisure-time physical activity.
Active transportation strategies make physical activity the default, easy option.
They increase and improve:
- Street connectivity
- Sidewalk and trail infrastructure
- Bicycle infrastructure
- Public transit infrastructure and access
- Safe routes to school
Places for Physical Activity strategies also create and enhance:
- Mixed land use
- Proximity to community or neighborhood destinations
- Access to parks and recreational facilities
Places for Physical Activity are considered Policy, Systems, and Environment (PSE) changes. These changes can be written and published through policies, be evident through processes and the way an organization or institution functions, be visible through temporary or permanent changes to the built environment (such as signage and walkways), or all of the above.
Resources and materials
Most of the recommended strategies in this toolkit are considered environmental changes, while some are considered policy changes.