A New Vision for Healthy, Equitable Transportation Policy Shireen Malekafzali Senior Associate PolicyLink Federal Transportation Planning for Public Health September 19, 2011
PolicyLink – What we do PolicyLink A national research and action institute dedicated to economic and social equity. Center for Health & Place Works to create neighborhood conditions that encourage health and equity. Center for Infrastructure Equity Works to ensure investments in infrastructure create opportunity by increasing racial and economic equity. 2
Presentation Outline • Historical Context • Impacts of Transportation on Health • Challenges & Opportunities • A New Vision • Seizing the Opportunity to Implement the Vision 3
Historical Context • 1900s: Development of the Rail Road System • 1950s: Interstate Highway System • A Fundamental Civil Rights Issue: Rosa Parks, Montgomery Bus Boycott, Freedom Riders, role of busing policies in schools • Favored middle class and affluent neighborhoods resulting in skewed patters of regional growth and development • Lead to dramatic disparities in health and opportunity 4
Transportation Impacts on Health 5
Impacts on Health: Air Quality • Pollutants from autos • 8,800 premature deaths a year in CA • Air pollution is a known trigger for asthma attacks. • Asthma hospitalization 3x for Black children in CA. 6
Impacts on Health: Traffic Safety • Leading cause of death for people ages 5 to 34 • 47,700 pedestrians killed, 688,000 injured in the US over the last decade • People of color and older Americans are disproportionally impacted R a c e / E thnic ity/ % of P opula tion % of P e de s tria n A g e D e a ths White 68% 56% B la c k 13% 18% L a tino 14% 19% A s ia n 4% 4% Source: T4A, Dangerous by Design. http://t4america.org/docs/dbd2 6 5 a nd olde r 13% 22% 7
Smart growth promotes safety Source: Reid Ewing et al (2003); as reported by Todd Litman, Victoria Transportation Institute 2009 8
Impacts on Health: Access • Transportation is access. • In an auto-centric society, many are left out. – People of color have limited access to cars: – Poverty compounds the problem. – Elderly and disabled populations drive less 9
Access Cont’ • Brookings Institution Report: “Missed Opportunity: Transit and Jobs in Metropolitan America,” revealed the stark obstacles in getting to regional job centers. • The typical worker can reach only about 7% of their region’s jobs in a one-way, 45-minute transit commute. • Three-quarters of low- and middle-skill jobs cannot be accessed even by a one-way, 90-minute transit commute. • Residents of low-income suburban neighborhoods face some of the biggest challenges – they cannot access more than 77% of low- and middle-skill jobs via transit. • Recent and looming cuts in local transit service compound the problem. 10
Impacts on Health: Physical Activity • Driving can increase the risk of obesity by 6% • Walking reduces obesity • Public transit riders are more physically active Driving is a risk factor for obesity 30% 27% 25% % obese (BMI>30) 18% 20% 14% 15% 10% 10% 5% 0% Lowest Quarter Highest Quarter Vehicle miles traveled Source: Lopez-Zetina, Health and Place, 2006 11
Challenges and Opportunities 12
Challenges & Opportunities • Health impacts are not considered in transportation planning. – Provide guidance on assessment of health impacts in CEQA. – New transportation models that are used in investment decision-making are in development –ensure health and equity inputs and outputs. – Health impact assessments. • Lack of public transportation funding, specifically funding for operating transit systems. – Ensure regions have authority to raise funds. – Establish sustainable sources of funding. – Enable use of federal transportation funding for operations 13
Challenges & Opportunities Cont’ • Low-income communities particularly impacted. – Concentration of poor health outcomes allows for targeted interventions. – Prioritize low-income communities for transportation investments. • Bike/ped and those with disabilities not always considered. – Support the effective implementation of a strong Complete Streets policy –ensure adequate evaluation and accountability of benefits of public investment for active transporters. 14
Challenges & Opportunities Cont’ • Lack of public health and community representation. – Include representation in Regional Air Resources Boards and Metropolitan Planning Organizations. • Federal policy limits healthy transportation policy. – Federal Transportation Bill up for authorization –ensure CA US lawmakers promote healthy transportation policies (more transit, walking and biking, health assessments, performance measures) 15
Challenges & Opportunities Cont’ • Lack of overarching goals and accountability. – Strategic Growth Council –develop overarching goals and performance measure including health and equity. – Health in all policies. – SCS planning and metrics. • Human Impact Partners worked with a number of public health organizations to develop a set of 13 prioritized health and equity metrics for the SCS within RTPs • Metrics cover: 1) Safety; 2) Access to Goods and Services; 3) General Transportation; 4) Future Growth; 5) Economic; 6) Environmental Pollution, and; 7: Equity • They provide measurable metrics, resources for information and data, suggest methodology • For more information visit: http://www.humanimpact.org/projects 16
Challenges: A Broken System • Health impacts overlooked • Focus on highways vs. transit & bike/ped • Lack of linkage between housing, jobs, and transportation planning • Few incentives for innovation or conservation • Limited accountability to any outcomes • Limited engagement in transportation policy making 17
Immense Health & Equity Opportunities • Transportation investment drives land use • Walkable, bikeable, compact transit oriented neighborhoods • Mixed-income, mixed-use communities • Connect people • Access for transit-dependent • Affordable transportation options • Safe active transportation • Improved health outcomes • Improved environmental quality 18
A New Vision • Transportation not as mobility in an of itself –but as access. • A holistic approach to transportation policy that recognizes its impacts on multiple outcomes –such as health, environmental quality and economic viability–and plans accordingly. 19 • Vision: Healthy Communities of Opportunity
Seizing the Opportunity to Implement the Vision 20
Federal & State Opportunities • The Surface Transportation Act – The single largest opportunity to shape land use patterns, and influence how our communities are designed – 6 th largest federal expenditure – An opportunity that arises only once a decade • Sustainable Communities Grants • SB375 and Sustainable Communities Strategies • Health in All Policies Executive Order • Strategic Growth Council 21
Coalitions, Organizing and Awareness • Federal: Transportation for America, Complete Streets, Transit Riders for Public Transportation, Safe Routes to Schools, Rails to Trails, Transportation Equity Network –all of which also have roots in regions • State: Strategic Alliance, Healthy Places Coalition, CPEHN, Social Equity Caucus, equity, asthma, obesity, and freight coalition across the state • Building Public Will: Organizing, education, media and communication efforts • Research/Data: Safety, jobs, obesity, asthma, air quality, climate change 22
Policy Recommendations • Prioritize investments in public transportation • Prioritize pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure • Encourage equitable transit-oriented development by incentivizing integrated land use and transportation planning • Create incentives and accountability measures • Prioritize investment in high need areas = Healthy, Communities of Opportunity 23
Implementing the Vision POLICY DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH/DATA ORGANIZING AND COALITION BUILDING POLICY ENGAGE BUILD POLICY PUBLIC CHANGE MAKERS WILL CLIMATE READY FOR CHANGE FRAMING AND COMMUNICATIONS 24
Building Movement • An issue for health & equity in every city, region, and state • A policy which leads to multiple goals • Diverse groups interested in coming together to work towards common solutions • Energy, climate, obesity epidemic and the economy demand a better solution • Immediate opportunities to seize • California is poised to lead the way for the nation 25
Resources: • The Transportation Prescription: Bold New Ideas for Transportation Reform in America • Healthy, Equitable Transportation Policy: Recommendations and Research www.convergencepartnership.org/HealthyEquitableTransportation Shireen Malekafzali shireen@policylink.org www.PolicyLink.org
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