How your community is designed can have a major impact on your health.

The following short videos are about the importance of community design and your health. (Videos are closed captioned).

  

 

Ways you can be involved in creating opportunities for physical activity in your community:

• Talk with your mayor or ward councillor about healthy community design (like sidewalks and pathways that support everyone to safely walk and cycle);
• Encourage your municipality to create a healthy community that is designed for all ages, abilities, and ways to travel (on foot, by bicycle or wheeling, using public transit, and cars);
• Ask your municipality about policies that ensure access to recreation for everyone ); and;
• Task local businesses to make their location accessible to people who walk, wheel and bike.

Municipalities across Ontario must create a plan for how their community could grow and how the land will be used. This is called an Official Plan. It is created with feedback from the community. Municipalities can help to create healthy communities through their Official Plan by including policies that address health-related issues.

You can give input when your municipality is reviewing their Official Plan and zoning by-laws. You can also attend a public meeting to provide feedback. Contact your municipality to learn more about this.