Communities in Action

To help address a shortage of affordable housing for local families, the City of Springfield, MO, a ‘big, small town’ of 164,122 people in a metro area of nearly half a million, started the Springfield Community Land Trust (SCLT) in 2012, in collaboration with Community Partnership of the Ozarks. SCLT helps families with low to moderate incomes...

To provide affordable housing and on-site community resources in a healthy environment, King County Housing Authority (KCHA) transformed Greenbridge, a suburb of Seattle, WA, from World War II-era temporary housing to modern, brightly colored apartments and townhomes. Determined to meet the needs of the community, KCHA collaborated with partners to gather feedback from residents across the age...

To address substandard manufactured housing and improve housing-related health outcomes, Curry County, OR conducted a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) and, ultimately, implemented a local housing rehabilitation loan and grant program paired with a targeted Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) housing rehabilitation program. Located along the southern coast of Oregon, Curry County’s residents...

To increase physical activity in a rural region with high rates of unemployment and poverty, and lots of snow, Michigan’s Western Upper Peninsula Health Department created the Copper County Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities partnership. This partnership increased opportunities for active transportation through a Complete Streets policy, Safe Routes to School, and improved bicycle and walking...

Kids walking to school is a very old idea, and one whose time has come again—in a new way. With a responsible adult walk leader, “walking school buses tear down parental fears such as stranger danger and traffic incidents that prevent many kids from walking to school,” said PedNet Coalition Assistant Director Lawrence Simonson. Simonson called such programs “...