Increasing Access to Parks and Active Transportation with Health in All Policies

Many of California’s greatest health challenges are highly complex and often interrelated. Solutions to these problems require collaboration across sectors to address social determinants of health, such as transportation and green and open spaces like parks and urban tree canopy.

Working with members of California’s Health in All Policies Task Force, PHI staff helped to support active transportation, increase urban and community greening, and improve access to parks. Staff supported Task Force members to incorporate health and equity into key state-level transportation policy guidelines, including the California Transportation Plan 2040, the Regional Transportation Plan Guidelines, and Caltrans internal planning processes to increase bike, pedestrian and transit trips. Staff also provided guidance in grant-making programs and metrics to increase the likelihood of state resources reaching those communities with the greatest need. Together, they generated recommended collaborative actions state agencies can take to promote community greening and access to parks throughout California.