Long commutes are part of life in and near the nation's capital. In this traffic cam image oncoming traffic is on the Outerloop of the Capital Beltway moving towards the I-270 interchange. Traffic moving away is on the innerloop of the Capital Beltway moving towards College Park, Maryland. (Photo courtesy Maryland DOT) "Parents exhausted by long commutes and endless traffic can scarcely cope with their own needs after long days," they write. "In this setting, virtually every task requires a car, even a trip to school, church or the library, and the quality time for parents and their children is reduced to brief conversations in the car. The developmental and psychological effects of barren and commercialized landscapes need to be further examined," they say. With the projected doubling of the U.S. population over the next century, the CDC report says, "protection of water sources, both underground and surface water - lakes and rivers - is no longer solely an aesthetic issue but a critical health protection need as well." Forests sustain the planet because they provide shade and cooling and contribute oxygen to the atmosphere. When forestland is destroyed, rapid runoff of rainwater introduces silt, road wastes, and toxic materials to source water. Poorly maintained private septic systems cause groundwater contamination that can last generations, the CDC report warns. As examples of how to build a healthier environment, the American Public Health Association recognized five communities as national models for solutions that protect kids' health and foster smart economic growth.
1. Riverside County, California, known for the worst sprawl in the
nation, is now at the forefront of livable communities nationwide, the APHA said. A pedestrian master plan, comprehensive maps of walking trails and collaboration with local developers will ensure a healthier future for Riverside's kids.
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3. Highlands Garden Village, Denver. The new mixed-use urban village
includes market rate and below-market rate residential units and senior housing, as well as retail, commercial and civic buildings. (Photo courtesy Denver Urban Renewal Authority)
4. Highlands' Garden Village in Denver, Colorado was once an
abandoned amusement park. The 27-acre site now hosts environmentally friendly, mixed-income housing. Nearby office and retail spaces eliminate the need to drive to work or shopping and neighborhoods are connected by a network of pedestrian-friendly walkways and parks.
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6. Centennial Place in Atlanta, Georgia used to be home to the
nation's oldest - and some of the most dilapidated and dangerous - housing projects. The first mixed-income, mixed-use community in the country, Centennial Place blends affordable housing with market-rate units and includes ample outdoor and indoor recreation spaces where kids can play safely.
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8. Delaware County, Ohio is the fastest growing county in the state.
Unchecked growth had begun to impact residents' health when the community launched a rigorous assessment to identify areas for improvement. As a result, more parks are being built and community programs were created to encourage families and children to be more active.
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10. Winchester Greens in Richmond, Virginia is a new mixed-use,
mixed-income community built on the site of an old barracks-style apartment complex that was a magnet for violent crime. The community now is home to families living in healthy housing connected by sidewalks and parks filled with children playing. Boston's Lead-Safe Yard Project received an APHA Honorable Mention. This program, created in 1998 by the Boston University School of Public Health
(BUSPH) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), provides low-cost methods to eliminate lead in urban residential house lots. Lead contaminated soil in older Boston neighborhoods remains a source of exposure that has not received widespread attention. Even when houses have been de-leaded, yard soil has rarely been sampled or treated, the EPA said. Between 1998 and 2002 nearly 100 house lots in North Dorchester and Roxbury received lead-safe yard improvements. Contaminated soil was removed and mulch was added to raise the level of the ground on which children play. Compost was added to garden plots from which contaminated soil had been removed. Bare soil areas were improved with lawns, mulch, and stepping stone paths. ³Children are often the silent victims of lead poisoning,² said Patricia Hynes, BUSPH environmental health professor and co-principal investigator of the original project. "The Lead-Safe Yard Project is an exemplary public health program that is protective of children, is low-cost, able to be maintained by homeowners, and is easily replicable." The Lead Safe Yard Project has developed a how-to handbook for individuals, neighborhood associations, community agencies, and local government, to encourage program replication, online at: http://www.epa.gov/region01/leadsafe/. The handbook is still online although the EPA closed EMPACT, the Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and Community Tracking program, in 2001.