Healthy Built Environment

The Healthy Built Environment Work Group promotes active lifestyles by working with policymakers to increase and improve trails, sidewalks, public transit, parks and other community resources.

The Work Group supports efforts to:

• Building and maintaining sidewalks, bikeways, and trails where people can safely walk, roll, or use other forms of active transportation
• Increasing the variety of opportunities for physical activity, including indoor recreation centers, parks, and other open spaces
• Encouraging walking and biking to school, work, and other activities
• Undertaking efforts to increase safety for people who are walking, biking, and otherwise being active outdoors (and thus reducing non-motorized fatalities and serious injuries on public roads in the county)

Recent Workgroup Accomplishments

The Healthy Built Environment Work Group, through the coalition’s Pathways grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, supported the development of on-bike safety education at Baldwin Junior High and funded the purchase of fleet of bicycles used for the program.

LiveWell Annual Celebration Breakfast Awards

As part of its annual celebration, on Friday, November 19, 2022 the LiveWell Douglas County coalition awarded Culture of Health Action Awards to both coalition members and community partners whose efforts have helped improve the health and well-being of Douglas County residents.

Healthy Built Environment honored several long-time leaders of the Work Group. Dot Nary, Chris Tilden, and Gary Webber have all been actively involved in the Work Group almost from its inception, and have served in work group leadership roles and have been engaged in countless efforts in Lawrence and Douglas County to build a stronger network for walking and biking both as a form of recreation and transportation.

Resources

• City of Lawrence Metropolitan Planning Organization
• Lawrence-Douglas County Bicycle Advisory Committee
• RideLawrence.com

For more information about joining, go to Get Involved.

Work Group Leadership

• Interim Chair: Chris Tilden, KU Center for Public Partnerships & Research - christilden@hotmail.com