A44 If You Build it…do it Safely! Building in Safety While Creating Active Environments

Abstract

Abstract Background Efforts to promote environments that facilitate opportunities for active living and travel should consider the fact that injury is one of the leading causes of death globally, with transportation-related injuries a common cause. Drawing on the latest academic research and best practices in the field of injury prevention, this project aimed to provide those working to promote active lifestyles with evidenced-based recommendations on how to build in safety while designing active environments. Methods In 2010, twelve New York City (NYC) government agencies collaborated to create the Active Design Guidelines (ADG), which provided evidence-based and best practice urban and building design strategies for creating environments that promote daily physical activity. We developed a supplement to the ADG, Promoting Safety, which provides information that links safe design and active design strategies. A systematic review of the existing literature was conducted to identify injury prevention strategies applicable to the ADG objectives. Injury prevention strategies were rated as strong, emerging, or best practice, according to the strength of the supporting research evidence. We identified 18 urban design strategies and 9 building design strategies that promote safety and physical activity. Evidence was strong or emerging for 14/18 urban design strategies and 7/9 building design strategies. The product that resulted included a summary of the strategy, evidence, rating, visuals, and a matrix to illustrate how active design objectives relate to safety promoting strategies. The product was designed for widespread dissemination, and was peer-reviewed by injury prevention professionals, design and transportation experts, and key stakeholders. Results Several key findings emerged from the evidence reviewed: 1) active design strategies are often wholly compatible with well-accepted injury prevention principles; 2) the safety of multiple active design strategies can often be enhanced simultaneously by a single injury prevention strategy; and 3) for several of the active design objectives reviewed, there is not yet evidence on the ways in which injury outcomes are involved, and further research is needed. Conclusions By partnering with architects, planners and other transportation professionals, injury prevention and public health professionals can contribute to ensuring that new and renovated spaces maximize both active living and safety. This project is significant for the field because it highlights the importance of interdisciplinary collaborations to foster the creation of safe environments. It also emphasizes the critical role that injury prevention professionals have in ensuring safety is incorporated when interventions to promote active transport are being developed in the future.