Katherine Hebert

The Town of Davidson is in the midst of a study looking at how street design affects public health. The coordinator of the Davidson Design for Life program will be at Davidson Farmer’s Market on July 7 and 21 to talk with residents about the health study, and to hand out information on street safety and healthy street design.

Katherine Hebert, the town’s DD4L Project Coordinator, wants ot talk with residents and answer questions about the “health impact assessment” being conducted on Davidson’s street design standards.

A health impact assessment is a tool leaders and policy makers can use to gauge the potential effects of planning decisions on public health, in the same way traffic or environmental impact studies help decision makers.  Davidson officials say the HIA will help inform town officials as they rewrite Davidson’s Planning Ordinance next year.

A public information session about the Davidson Design for Life program is scheduled on Wednesday, July 25, from 6-8 p.m. at Town Hall. Officials will discuss the health impact study’s findings and seek additional public comments.

“We want residents’ thoughts on our existing street network, so that we can identify model streets to emulate as the town revises its street design standards next year,” Ms. Hebert said in a press release.

Davidson was one of six governments nationwide selected last year to receive grants under the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Healthy Community Design Initiative.  Davidson was the smallest locality in the group, which included San Francisco; Baltimore; Douglas County, Nebraska; Oregon, and Massachusetts.

See Sept. 9, 2011, “Davidson gets $350k to incorporate health into planning.”