A Healthy Food Physical Accessibility Standard and its Implications for Transport, Spatial Planning and Public Health

This paper describes how, in response to changing global environmental and market trends, access to healthy food initiatives will form an important element in many future accessibility and land use planning strategies in both urban and rural areas. Equally prevalent is the need to encourage people to embrace healthier lifestyles with improved diets and increased levels of physical activity. By enabling physical access to healthy food, both food security and healthy lifestyles can be improved. Within the West Midlands area, the accessibility agenda is firmly accepted to be a shared priority between the transport and health sectors, local authorities and regional policymakers. The benefits of partnerships working across these sectors include: better public health, community regeneration, reduced social exclusion, reduced traffic congestion, stable economics and an improved local environment. The United Kingdom (UK) Government Office for the West Midlands (GoWM) commissioned the development of a physical accessibility standard for accessing healthy food outlets across its region. The standard, “Percentage of households within 20 minutes by walking, cycling or public transport of a place where fruit and vegetables are sold”, is a practical tool that is designed to be used by local authorities to assist in undertaking local accessibility assessments and developing access solutions. The research underpinning the standard has policy implications for future transport, spatial planning and public health policies. It was developed for use within the next phase of local transport plans and regional strategies as a means of encouraging residents, as well as people visiting and working in the region, to adopt healthier lifestyles.

• Record URL:
  https://aetransport.org/past-etc-papers/conference-papers-pre-2009/conference-papers-2010
• Corporate Authors:

  Association for European Transport (AET)

  1 Vernon Mews, Vernon Street, West Kensington
  London W14 0RL,    
• Authors:
  • Wixey, S
  • Elliot, D
  • Blair, A
• Conference:
  • European Transport Conference, 2010
  • Location: Glasgow Scotland, United Kingdom
  • Date: 2010-10-11 to 2010-10-13
• Publication Date: 2010

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Pagination: v.p.
• Monograph Title: European Transport Conference, 2010 Proceedings

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accessibility; Bicycle travel; Bicycling; Food; Land use planning; Policy making; Public health; Public transit; Spatial analysis; Walking
• Geographic Terms: West Midlands (England)
• Subject Areas: Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01349550
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 10 2011 10:43AM