5 ways Denver's next mayor can improve health

Anna Jones is vice president of Progressive Urban Management Associates (P.U.M.A.). She also serves on the Denver Planning Board.

Denver's next mayor will have an opportunity to support policies that shape our daily experiences and improve our overall health while building the city's economic vitality.

With the mayoral election fast approaching in May, here are five ways Denver's next mayor can make a difference in our physical (and economic) health (in no particular order):

1. Expand bicycling programs – For starters, the popular B-Cycle program should be more accessible to neighborhoods and all Denver residents. According to B-Cycle's data, the program saved 15,868 gallons of gas and burned more than 6.3 million calories for users in its first year. The new mayor can continue to expand bike infrastructure by redoubling efforts to build safe and protected bike lanes throughout the city. There is no reason Denver can't set the national standard for a bike infrastructure that truly impacts our commuting habits. We have a great climate and relatively flat terrain. Bike lanes are much cheaper and easier to build than new roads and the bike industry in Colorado generates millions of dollars annually.

2. Improve pedestrian access – While a bike-friendly city will encourage more residents to get active, there are many health benefits to good old fashioned walking. Making Denver more pedestrian-friendly means adding sidewalks where they don't exist and widening them where they do. Installing new street signs and traffic signals will make streets safer to cross. Neighborhoods that are walkable are more valuable than those that aren't. Walkable commercial areas also generate more sales and property tax.

3. Build transit systems – Denver's next mayor should support efforts to promote regional collaboration to finish the FasTracks build out. Voters will support a ballot measure to complete the project if regional collaboration is accompanied by an educational campaign promoting the significant economic, environmental health benefits of transit.

4. Invest in kids – Investing in safe routes to school, supporting healthy lunch options and providing safe places to be active will help keep our kids healthy. Denver's new mayor should also strive to ensure that all kids have access to affordable health care. Though Colorado has the leanest population in the country, current statistics show 14 percent of Colorado children are obese – ranking us No. 23 among states. Medical costs associated with obesity cost Coloradans millions of dollars annually.

5. Encourage food access – Denver's mayor should follow the lead of other major metropolitan areas by appointing a "food czar" (a food policy director whose responsibility is to improve residents' access to healthy, affordable food). Policies that would encourage food access could include extending low-interest loans and other financial incentives to encourage grocery stores and markets with fresh produce to locate in underserved neighborhoods. A focus on community gardening in backyards, school yards and parks also will improve access in "food deserts" (defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as areas that lack access to affordable fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk and other foods that make up the full range of a healthy diet).

Our new economic reality will require Denver's next mayor to think differently, forge new partnerships, leverage opportunities and make the most of each dollar the city spends. Research shows that mixed-use and transit-rich environments are conducive to better physical and fiscal health. Perhaps more important are the intangible benefits of living in a community that embraces and supports healthy living initiatives.

Of course, the critical ingredient is leadership that understands the importance of good health, a rich urban fabric and the courage to implement policies to make the vision a reality.

Can you think of ways to improve health in Denver or your own community? Post your ideas in the comment box below. Please note that comments will be open for two weeks from the initial post date. Follow the Foundation's work on Facebook and Twitter.

Comments

[Kathy Underhill]

Thank you for this article and the forward thinking, solution focused suggestions. Hunger Free Colorado would add an additional piece to Encourage Food Access. The new mayor must look at access rates for food stamps. Denver lost about $36 million in grocery sales in 2009 due to low participation in this federal nutrition safety net. This program benefit is 100% federally funded, provides access to healthy food and is great economic stimulus.