Montana County Promotes Walking by Creating a Community that is Healthy by Design

The Healthy by Design coalition brought together professionals in infrastructure, engineering, economic development, and planning; medical leaders; and a strong network of non-profit and community-action groups. This broad range of partners allowed Healthy by Design to implement strategies across sectors (e.g., worksites, physician offices, schools) and ensured a comprehensive community approach.

Recognizing that it is not a matter of whether the community grows, but rather how it grows, the Healthy by Design initiative collaborated with the City-County Planning and Public Works Departments on community design issues. The coalition conducted a health impact assessment [PDF 3.6MB] to inform the 2008 Yellowstone County/City of Billings Growth Policy, which guides growth and development for the community. Through community education, Healthy by Design collaborated on making roadways safer for all users: motorists, walkers, transit riders, and bicyclists.

Healthy by Design, in collaboration with community partners, achieved the following successes:

• Addition of a community health section to the 2008 Growth Policy [PDF 5.7MB]: the community health section identifies seven public health issues, seven policies to address each issue, and 40 strategies to be implemented to support the policies. Many of the issues, policies, and strategies focus on promoting walking as part of everyday living.
• Passage of a Complete Streets Policy [PDF 1.5MB]: the policy ensures that Billings will consider every street project an opportunity to build roadways for all users and work to achieve a safe, convenient, and connected multi-modal transportation network.

The Healthy by Design coalition brought together professionals in infrastructure, engineering, economic development, and planning; medical leaders; and a strong network of non-profit and community-action groups. This broad range of partners allowed Healthy by Design to implement strategies across sectors (e.g., worksites, physician offices, schools) and ensured a comprehensive community approach.

Healthy by Design coalition partners learned the importance of involving implementers and the community in community design projects, as well as the benefit of tailoring messages for various audiences:

• Policy change requires time, effort, and political backing. Any policy passed will require the support of those who are going to implement it.
• It is essential to have support not only from community leaders but also a wide range of community members. The strong support of respected and diverse partners, including nontraditional health partners such as economic development, has helped ensure the success of Healthy by Design.
• Every community and audience is different. Messages and strategies should be tailored to meet the needs, interests, and priorities of the community. While Healthy by Design is concerned primarily with health, the full range of community design benefits (e.g., economics, safety) should also be highlighted.