A city (or county) is not an accident but the result of coherent visions and aims

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Intent of Analysis
Recommended Data
This can be assessed to track and analyze risk of displacement
Housing cost burden
Understanding characteristics such as single parent households, larger 
family households, age, etc. can help inform priority amenities in an 
area
Population by household type
An inventory of age of housing stock can help inform planning for hous-
ing growth and future development
Age of housing stock
An inventory of affordable housing can help inform planning for housing 
growth and future development
Affordable housing
Promotion of Physical Activity
Requirement Description:
The Environmental Justice Element must identify objectives and policies to reduce 
the unique or compounded health risks in disadvantaged communities by promoting 
physical activity. 
General Physical Activity and Health Considerations
The design of the physical environment can either facilitate active transport 
or serve as a barrier. The National Household Travel Survey (2009) shows that 
approximately 50% of the trips people make are under 3 miles away, and almost 
a quarter are within a mile.
xv
 How design is implemented at the local level 
can facilitate walking and biking to accomplish these trips. Physical inactivity 
is one of the key contributors to chronic disease in California.
xvi
 Inactivity is 
linked to obesity, the second leading cause of preventable death in the United 
States.
xvii
 Increasing physical activity is one of the most important contributors 
to improved health; it helps control weight, reduces the risk of cardiovascular 
disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and some cancers as well as improving mental health and well-being. Only half of 
Californians meet the recommended daily activity: about thirty minutes a day for adults and one hour for children.
xviii
 In 
2011, 30.4% of California Children age 10-17 were overweight or 
obese.
xix
 In 2013, 30.2% of adult Californians were obese.
xx
 Obesity 
increases the risk for many chronic diseases such as diabetes, high 
blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease and many cancers. 
A more active lifestyle can help reduce the risk of obesity. Access 
and proximity to safe places for physical activity, including parks, 
are significant predictors of physical activity levels.
xxi
 Active living 
incorporates physical activity into one’s daily routine such as walking 
to perform errands, active transportation to work, walking or biking 
to school, or accessing nearby open space to pursue recreation. More 
A pedestrian hit by a car traveling  
30 mph is between seven and nine times 
as likely to be killed as one hit by a car 
traveling 20 mph 
Jeff Speck, Atlantic City Lab  
October 6, 2014 
Photo credit: Elizabeth Baca
Designing spaces to promote physical activity 
can improve health outcomes for communities

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equitable access to infrastructure to support active transit has the potential to help reduce some of the disparate health 
outcomes seen across California. 
Active transportation options allow for less time spent in vehicles. In addition, greater individual activity also helps reduce 
Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) resulting in less greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improving air quality. Many local 
jurisdictions have developed active design guidelines that can also complement General Plan Policies.
Planning connected bike and pedestrian paths increases alternatives to auto use. The 
design needs
 for safety for pedestrian and 
bike throughfares differ. Both transit oriented development (TOD) and infill development also create an opportunity for more 
active lifestyles. 
Complete Streets
 and multimodal, interconnected transit allow access to services, housing, school, open space 
recreation areas, and other amenities without the need for vehicles. In conjunction with a robust public transportation system, 
first and last mile policies- addressing the need to provide connections between destinations and the beginning or end of transit- 
ensure increased access. Additional infrastructure such as covered rest areas, shade, age friendly seating, and bike storage are 
important to increase utilization. Interagency cooperation with other districts or entities can allow for creative and cost effective 
solutions such as 
easements for trail networks
. If pedestrian and bike plans exist, they should be complementary to the general 
plan update.
The
 Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act of 2008 (SB 375)
, promotes regional coordination of 
transportation
 
and 
land use
 planning, including support of active transportation. These policies help reduce the burden of transportation on 
the environment, improve air quality, and help communities be more active. Including policies that prioritize more forms of 
active transportation in general plans will strengthen potential for regional transportation plans to meet GHG reduction targets 
established pursuant to SB 375 (2008).
Due to recent federal legislation, the statewide funding mechanisms to support active transportation have been evolving. The 
Active Transportation Program
, enacted via Senate Bill 99 in 2013, is a new program to fund pedestrian, bicycle, and 
Safe Routes 
to School programs (SRTS)
. This program ensures that at least 25% of investments benefit disadvantaged communities. In 1969, 
nationally, almost half of the children between the ages of 5-14 walked or biked to school, but that number has plummeted to 
13% in 2009. While the reasons for this are many, factors include the distance to school, school siting, safety of the area, and 
physical conditions on the route to school. Programs that promote walking or biking to school help achieve daily-recommended 
physical activity. Improving infrastructure and safety also increase the ability of children to walk or bike to school as desired. 
Several resources are available to integrate SRTS policies.
xxii, xxiii
 
Although 
school siting
 decisions are not controlled by the 
general plan, the general plan process can promote coordination with school districts and help align school modernization and 
reinvestment with the general plan. 

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