California Cities Use Planning Guidelines To Target Health Disparities

On Tuesday, Los Angeles became the latest California city to adopt planning guidelines aimed at reducing health disparities, the Los Angeles Times' "L.A. Now" reports.

Background

According to "L.A. Now," similar plans have been adopted by several California cities in recent years, including:

• El Monte;
• Murrieta;
• Richmond; and
• South Gate.

Meanwhile, many other cities are developing such plans.

Details of Los Angeles' Plan

The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved the Health and Wellness Element of the city's general plan, which targets a variety of neighborhood conditions related to city planning that can affect residents' health.

Specifically, the plan takes into account traditional and non-traditional factors such as:

• Adding park space;
• Improving access to grocery stores;
• Increasing life expectancy;
• Increasing access to low-cost daycare centers; and
• Reducing motor vehicle accidents.

For example, the guidelines include objectives to:

• Ensure that 75% of residents are within a quarter-mile of a park; and
• Increase the number of residents who live within a mile of a farmers market.

Senior City Planner Claire Bowin said, "They're not isolated pieces -- you can't just fix one thing and [expect] to solve health for everybody."

The plan, which has no additional money set aside for its health goals, was developed by the:

• California Endowment;
• Los Angeles City Planning Commission; and
• Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

Funding was provided by CDC (Karlamangla, "L.A. Now," Los Angeles Times, 3/31).