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Active Communities

Active communities are designed to promote physical activity for children, teens, adults, and people of all abilities!

Living in an active community includes having safe and walkable areas, good sidewalks, reasonable distances between destinations—including public transportation and sidewalks, and access to playgrounds, sports fields, recreational facilities, and other open areas to be physically active.

Active Transportation

A person wearing a helmet and riding a car.

Active transportation is any human-powered mode of moving from one place to another, which includes walking, biking, skateboarding, canoeing, etc.

Including walking and biking in your everyday routine helps create opportunities for physical activity, when you might feel like you don't have the time.

For more information on active transportation opportunities, or to share comments about active transportation in your community, please contact Healthy Living.

Annual healthcare cost savings per person by bicycling 10 miles per day: $2,730

Annual healthcare cost savings per person by walking 2 miles per day: $2,235

Currently 45% of Utahns get less than 150 minutes of physical activity per week.

Contact Healthy Living Program

Phone Number (385) 468-5339

Walkability

A person walking outside.

Walkability is a measure of how friendly an area is to walking. This includes the quality of and if there are or aren’t:

  • Footpaths
  • Sidewalks
  • Pedestrian Right-of-Ways
  • Street Connections
  • Traffic and Road Conditions
  • Overall Safety

Some of the benefits of walking as a form of transportation includes decreasing the usage of automobiles in the community and reducing long-term disease (I.e., heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and depression).

If you are someone who walks frequently in your community, you can share your voice with community leaders, by completing our Walkability Review or sharing a Video Survey and sending them to Healthy Living.

Park Rx

Park Rx Utah improves the physical, social, and mental health of its participants through outdoor physical activity. It connects Utahns to parks and other outdoor green spaces. It has a system for health professionals and others (educators, lifestyle coaches, religious leaders, etc.) to prescribe outdoor physical activity. It also has a fun-filled annual event, Park Rx Day(s), that anyone can participate in, with creative challenges, teams, prizes, and more.

For more information, visit Park Rx Utah online or on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Additional Resources

Resources are provided for you to help create an active home and community.