The Chicago Tribune recently reported on the rising rate of obesity in Cook County. The Tribune article highlights a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing that more than 23 percent of Cook County residents are not active.
In 2010, the Active Transportation Alliance received its largest-ever grant, $1.3 million, to combat this trend. We are partnering with the Cook County Department of Public Health and Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago on the Communities Putting Prevention to Work initiative. We are devoting nearly 25 percent of our staff resources this year to this innovative program to improve the environment for physical activity in suburban Cook County.
How are we doing this?
By doing what we've been doing for 25 years—making communities more inviting for biking, walking and transit. We are writing four regional active transportation plans, 11 municipal active transportation plans and dozens of school and municipal policies. Through this work we aim to implement many of the policies we helped initiate in places throughout the region: Complete Streets, Safe Park Zones and Safe Routes to School.
Stay tuned throughout the year for updates as this exciting project moves forward.