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Cities/Towns

HEAL and Cities/Towns

Cities and towns support healthy eating and active living through policy actions driven by local policy-makers, community leaders and community partners. Policies are designed to increase opportunities for physical activity and access to healthy foods. Examples include convenient access to farmers' markets, improved opportunities for walking and bicycling, accessible parks and open spaces for recreation.

HEAL's Recommended Strategies for Cities/Towns

• Improve access to parks, playgrounds, and recreation facilities, including after-hours access to school facilities for public use
• Improve infrastructure to support walking, bicycling and other modes of active transportation
• Adopt zoning policies for mixed-use, compact and transit oriented development
• Improve safety and security of streets, neighborhoods and places where people go for recreation and physically activity
• Create incentives for food retailers, restaurants and other public service venues to provide healthier foods from local farms
• Adopt zoning policies and programs to promote increased availability of farmers' markets and community gardens
• Permit breastfeeding in public places and encourage government agencies to promote breastfeeding-friendly worksites
• Offer social marketing programs, using multiple media sources, to promote the benefits and availability of local resources for healthy eating and active living for children and families
• Support local community coalitions to create healthy eating and active living environments

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