by Brianna Crandall — July 29, 2015—The American Institute of Architects (AIA) announced this week that it has become a partner in the “Every Body Walk!” initiative, a campaign created by Kaiser Permanente and featuring organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health as co-sponsors.
The partnership with the Every Body Walk! program comes as part of the AIA’s continuing Design and Health initiative, in which the AIA and its partners in public health are working to create opportunities for architects to improve human health and well-being through improvements to the built environment.
Among other things, the AIA’s Design and Health program seeks to facilitate holistic, synchronous and multi-scale solutions that empower the AIA’s members to address a wide range of areas connecting design and health, and provide education, research and policy tools to achieve that goal.
The AIA recommends six evidence-based approaches to health that designers can embrace in their practice and policy-setting: environmental quality, natural systems, physical activity, safety, sensory environments, and social connectedness. Underpinning all of these is a belief that all Americans should have the opportunity to make the choices that allow them to live a long, healthy life, and that the opportunity begins in the communities where we live.
Walkable communities
In April 2014 the AIA held a Health and Design Summit at which Deputy U.S. Surgeon General Rear Admiral Boris Lushniak, MD, MPH, called on architects to continue to design walkable communities as a way to battle obesity. Nationally and locally, the AIA and its various chapters have long been involved in promoting walkability in urban environments. Walking tours hosted by various AIA chapters encourage the public to explore their cities by foot, including Akron, Ohio; Houston, Texas; Honolulu, Hawaii; San Francisco, California; and Washington, DC.
Healthier urban spaces
Additionally, AIA’s New York component was instrumental in developing Active Design Guidelines that provide architects and urban designers with a manual of strategies for creating healthier buildings, streets, and urban spaces, based on academic research and best practices in the field. The Guidelines include strategies for creating buildings, neighborhoods, and outdoor spaces that encourage walking, bicycling, and active transportation and recreation.
Launched in January 2011, Every Body Walk! is a program aimed at getting Americans up and moving. Along with its partner network, the Every Body Walk! initiative is working to spread the message that walking 30 minutes a day, five days a week really can improve overall health and prevent disease. The Web site hub contains news and resources on walking and health information, exclusive videos, and a personal pledge form to start walking. The campaign also has a strong social networking presence, offers a free mobile app, and engages in media partnerships with multiple entities in the nonprofit and corporate realm.
