Healthy Places

People Walking

The mission of the Healthy Places program is to enhance healthy and active living. We do this through the policies and practices that impact how we build the places we live, work and play. These "Healthy Places" make it easier to be more active as part of everyday life.

The Healthy Places program works to create a built environment(PDF, 37KB) that encourages walkability, bikeability and physical activity through community design processes such as land use and transportation planning.

The built environment includes the physical elements added to the natural environment to create our community, like our buildings, road systems, parks, neighborhoods, civic buildings, and schools.

Walking in Columbus
Find information on Art Walks, Green Walks, neighborhood walking maps and assessments, neighborhood walking clubs, and Walk with a Doc.


Biking in Columbus
Find information on bike friendly businesses, Columbus Art Rides, biking events, biking for transportation, and bike maps.


Health Impact Assessment
HIA is a tool used to make sure that health is considered in all policies, projects, plans, or key decisions within our community. It also promotes better options for healthier choices for communities with fewer resources and higher rates of disease (health equity).


Safe Routes to School
Americans today rely more on personal cars than ever before. Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs aim to reduce this automobile dependency by promoting safe walking and biking to school for children across the country.