Safe Routes to Parks and Healthy Retail
Project Background
In partnership with the Sacramento County Public Health Department, WALKSacramento is analyzing park and healthy retail access in North and South Sacramento and identifying policy and built environment opportunities to improve health through active travel to healthy destinations. As part of this project, WALKSacramento developed a toolbox of resources to provide best practices and guidance for the county and other partners to support and implement safe routes to parks and healthy retail. Using the toolbox as a model for safe routes to parks and healthy retail planning, WALKSacramento is conducting in-depth community engagement around several park sites and healthy retail corridors in the County and working with partners to advance policy and infrastructure change.
Project Role
Program Implementer
Project Partners
Sacramento County Public Health
Project Timeline
Spring 2018 – Current
Discover the Safe Routes to Parks and Healthy Retail Toolkit
Existing Conditions
Park Data Analysis Report
Sacramento County Public Health has identified two priority areas within Sacramento County as part of the Obesity Prevention Program for targeted interventions to improve public health. This report focuses on parks as an opportunity for physical activity and assesses potential barriers to accessing parks. View Report
Park KII Report
Key Informant Interviews were conducted in order to understand barriers to park access, identify opportunities for improving access to parks within Sacramento County, and identify types of information and resources that would be most effective for decision-makers, implementers, and advocates to advance Safe Routes to Parks. View Report
Park Site Analysis Summary
A high-level site analysis was conducted for each park, focusing on Traffic Injury Mapping System (TIMS) results for pedestrian and bicycle collisions, crime records within 6-month timeframes, and an overview of connectivity and streetscape conditions. View Report
Retail Data Analysis Report
Sacramento County Public Health has identified two priority areas within Sacramento County as part of the Obesity Prevention Program for targeted interventions to improve public health. Specifically, this report focuses on healthy retail outlets as an opportunity for nutritional health and assesses potential barriers to accessing healthy retail. View Report
Retail KII Report
Key Informant Interviews were conducted from in order to understand barriers to healthy retail access, identify opportunities for improving access to healthy retail within Sacramento County, and identify types of information and resources that would be most effective for decision-makers, implementers, and advocates to advance Safe Routes to Healthy Retail. View Report
Retail Site Analysis Summary
A high-level analysis was conducted for each of the corridors, focusing on Traffic Injury Mapping System (TIMS) results for pedestrian and bicycle collisions, proximity to the City of Sacramento’s High Injury Network, connections to transit, and overall walkability and bikeability along the routes. View Report
Policy Assessment & Best Practices
Park and Retail Policy Goals
These infographics are ideal to share with stakeholders explaining Safe Routes to Parks and Healthy Retail Policy goals at a glance. View Infographics
Parks Policy Report
WALKSacramento conducted a policy scan of regional, local, and park district policies that currently exist relating to park access. This scan surveyed the existing policy landscape in the Sacramento Region and was used to identify current policy gaps relating to park access. View Report
Healthy Retail Policy Report
WALKSacramento conducted a policy scan of regional and local policies that currently exist relating to healthy retail access. This scan surveyed the existing policy landscape in the Sacramento Region and was used to identify current policy gaps relating to healthy retail access. View Report
Walk Audit Toolkit
Principles of Public Engagement
Community engagement is often seen as another box to check as part of the planning process. However, meaningfully engaging community members can result in greater support for a project, more competitive grant applications, greater chance of securing funding, and improved quality of life for residents through implementation of projects that accurately address their needs and priorities. View Guide
Walk Audit Toolkit
This toolkit is meant to guide participants through an assessment of walking and biking conditions in a community. Guiding questions prompt users to consider how street design and infrastructure conditions affect safety, comfort, and convenience for pedestrians and bicyclists. The toolkit focuses on five key elements of the built environment: pedestrian facilities, bicycle facilities, transit facilities, vehicle facilities, and land use. View Toolkit
Design Strategies & Best Practices
Healthy Development and Active Design Toolkit
The toolkit compiles numerous Active Design recommendations
with known impacts on community health that facilitate access to
regular physical activity. The toolkit is unique in that it provides
policy guidance from jurisdictions within Sacramento County as
well as LEED, NACTO and others. View Toolkit
CPTED Toolkit
Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, otherwise known as CPTED, is defined as “the proper design and effective use of the built environment that can lead to a reduction in the fear and incidence of crime and an improvement in the quality of life.” CPTED strategies are internationally recognized as an effective approach to reducing crime in communities while increasing quality of life of residents. View Toolkit
Complete Streets Toolkit
This guide compiles elements that support complete streets best practices including bike facilities and parking, pedestrian facilities, and traffic calming. View Toolkit
Programs Toolkit
Programming for Parks and Retail
People are more likely to use active transportation when there is a diversity of uses and interest in destinations. Activating parks and healthy retail provide an opportunity to provide a diverse range of programming that appeal to all ages and abilities of residents. This guide includes low cost, easy-to-implement programs to larger landscaping and play structure projects. View Guide
Wayfinding Case Study
Wayfinding is a signage system to help people orient themselves in a space. Signage uses visual cues to direct people from point A to point B or highlight points of interest. A Community wayfinding program is a great way to highlight key destinations in a neighborhood while promoting healthy lifestyles. View Case Study
Pilot Walk Audit Reports
Fruitridge Walk Audit Report
In August, 2019, WALKSacramento conducted a walk audit to identify existing conditions and barriers to pedestrian and bicycle access to parks and healthy retail along Fruitridge Road. The walk audit focused on a one-mile segment of the Fruitridge Road between Mendocino Boulevard and Stockton Boulevard and assessed opportunities to improve access to Fruitridge Park and healthy retail. View Report
Sacramento Northern Trail Walk Audit Report
In August, 2019, WALKSacramento conducted a walk audit to identify existing conditions and barriers to pedestrian and bicycle access to parks and healthy retail in North Sacramento. The walk audit focused on a one-mile segment of the Sacramento Northern Trail between Grand Avenue and Arcade Creek and assessed opportunities to improve access to the trail and between the trail and other key community destinations. View Report