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Healthy Rural Community Design: a Scorecard for Comprehensive Plans

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Healthy Rural Community Design: a Scorecard for Comprehensive Plans Healthy Rural Community Design: A Scorecard for Comprehensive Plans Version 3.1.1 Suggested citation: Charron, Lisa. Healthy Rural Community Design: A Scorecard for Comprehensive Plans – Version 3.1.1. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute; 2018. Funding to develop this tool was provided through a grant from the Wisconsin Partnership Program, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin- Madison. We value your feedback! Please visit https://www.wihealthatlas.org/comprehensive- plans/ to complete a short survey about your experience using the tool so that we can make future versions even better! The web page also has a link to sign up for email updates about new versions of the tool. Design modified from “Gertrude” template, slidescarnival.com. Photo credits, all via Flickr creative commons: Cover photo: Suzie’s Farm Facing photo: Daniel Feivoir Facing photo next page: David Clow 2 Table of contents Introduction Creating the Healthy Rural Community Design tool 4 About the tool 4 Helpful tips and resources 5 How do I know if my community is rural? 5 Scoring methodology 5 Plan evaluation process 7 For researchers 7 The Scorecard A. Overall plan, vision, and strategy 8 B. Healthy living 1) How we move around and access services 10 2) How we eat and drink 16 3) How we play and get our exercise 18 C. Active design 20 References 24 Appendix A: Scoresheet 26 3 Creating the Healthy Rural About the tool Community Design tool This scorecard is meant to help rural planners, puBlic health advocates, and community members The Healthy Rural Community Design Scorecard was recognize planning policies, strategies, and visions developed as part of the University of Wisconsin- within their local comprehensive plans that promote Madison's OBesity Prevention Initiative (OPI). OPI is healthy living and to identify areas for improvement. a collaborative effort Between researchers and The assessment is Best completed Before a practitioners to make physical activity and healthy comprehensive plan update, but can also occur at eating more accessiBle and fun while making the any time as a way to engage stakeholders, Build healthy choice the easy choice where people live, partnerships, and generate ideas for policy, system, learn, work, and play. and environmental change. The scorecard descriBes a "gold standard" for planning healthy, active rural The Healthy Rural Community Design Scorecard has communities; those conducting the evaluation been adapted from the Healthy Living and Active should not be discouraged by low scores, but instead Design Scorecard for Comprehensive Plans, celebrate strengths and select several areas for developed by Nemours Children’s Health System and improvement. Cedar Creek SustainaBle Planning Service for a Broad range of Delaware communities.1 In order to adapt Modeled after the Healthy Living and Active Design the Healthy Living and Active Design Scorecard to Scorecard, the Healthy Rural Community Design more specifically suit rural communities, we Scorecard is organized into three sections. The reviewed the existing puBlished literature and best “Overall plan, vision, and strategy” section assesses practice guides on healthy, active design in rural whether or not the comprehensive plan explicitly communities and received input from rural planners recognizes planning’s role in promoting puBlic health and puBlic health advocates from across Wisconsin. and reducing disparities. The “Healthy living” section We also drew heavily from the Environmental focuses on goals, oBjectives, and policies for Protection Agency's Smart Growth for Rural improving health and is divided into three Communities resources. 4 subsections: “How we move around and access How do I know if my community services,” “How we eat and drink,” and “How we play is rural? and get our exercise.” Finally, the “Active design” section pinpoints strategies of rural land use and design that can promote healthy, active living. While there are many ways to classify communities as urban, suburban, or rural, a good baseline is the U.S. Helpful tips and resources Census Bureau's Urbanized Areas. If the majority of your city, village, or town is within an Urban Area or Urban Cluster, it is probably suburban or urban. If it is Alongside the assessment items, you will find helpful not, then it is probably rural. However, it is ultimately pointers for scoring your community’s comprehensive up to the evaluator to decide whether to use the plan and additional resources and information about Healthy Rural Community Design Scorecard, which specific topic areas. Tips and resources are denoted has language and strategies reflecting the specific with corresponding icons: strengths and challenges of rural communities, or the Healthy Living and Active Design Scorecard, which The magnifying glass will appear with was designed for more general use. definitions of key terms Scoring methodology The book will appear with additional information or links to resources The Healthy Rural Community Design Scorecard The caution sign will appear with tips for borrows its scoring method from Ricklin et al.'s scoring Comprehensive Plan Evaluation and the Nemours Healthy Living and Active Design Scorecard. Both use the Edwards and Haines plan evaluation framework, The thumb tack will appear with examples of strategies or policies in which plans are evaluated for the presence or absence of certain goals and policies and how specific and action-oriented those goals and policies are. 5 Each item within the assessment tool is given a score If an item appears in multiple sections of the plan, this of 0, 1, or 2. A 0 is merited if the item is absent from can show a commitment to the idea, but multiple the plan; a 1 is merited if it is present but limited, weak statements should not score as a strong vague, or weak; and a 2 is merited if it is present, statement. Instead, base the score on the strongest comprehensive, specific, and action-oriented. statement regarding the item. Furthermore, evaluators can use the guidance provided in the table below to distinguish between a score of 1 and a score of 2.5 1 2 (Weak statement) (Meets or exceeds expectations) Item is mentioned, but: The item is mentioned, and it is clear that the • The policy would be difficult to enforce policymakers or plan writers are committed to making because the statement is vague, unclear, or it happen, evidenced by one or more of the following: confusing • In-depth analysis of the issue and related data • Statements are listed as goals, aspirations, and/or maps suggestions, or recommendations • A concrete action plan or strategies for • There are loopholes in the policy that may implementation weaken its enforcement • Benchmarks for success and a plan for • The policy mentions a future plan to act, evaluation without specifying a timeline or responsible • Identified funding sources parties for doing so • A standalone document devoted to the issue (e.g. a Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan). Words associated with a weak statement or item Words associated with a strong statement or item include: may, can, could, should, might, encourage, include: shall, will, must, have to, insist, require, all, suggest, urge, some, partial, make an effort, and total, comply, and enforce. try. 6 Plan evaluation process For researchers The best way to score your community’s As is, this tool is designed for local practitioners to comprehensive plan is to follow these steps: evaluate how well their own comprehensive plan accounts for healthy community design strategies. 1. Read through the Healthy Rural Community The tool may also be used by researchers seeking to Design Scorecard several times to become compare plans or estimate how well regions are familiar with its sections and items. planning for health. Such research will be more 2. Read through your community’s comprehensive efficient, valid, and reliable if scoring protocols are plan, including implementation sections, maps, used and reliability testing is conducted. charts, and appendices. Sometimes comprehensive plans are split into two parts, the If you would like to use this tool for research first containing background information and the purposes, please contact [email protected] for second containing goals, objectives, and policies. additional materials regarding scoring protocol and Make sure to read both of these parts. When you reliability testing. see information that might pertain to an item in the tool, make a note in the document. We suggest using a PDF reader like Adobe Acrobat Reader or Foxit Reader. 3. Go back and review the notes for each item and score holistically based on what the entire plan says about the item. Be aware that information about an item might appear in different sections of a chapter or even across different chapters. 4. Write scores and notes in the scoresheet found in Appendix A and calculate comprehensiveness and strength scores. 7 8 A. Overall plan, vision, and strategy 1 The plan explicitly recognizes the relationship of the built environment to obesity, chronic disease, and/or public health. 0 Not mentioned 1 Mentioned in general terms, perhaps with some national or statewide statistics 2 Mentioned specifically in conjunction with data relevant to the Health inequities: jurisdiction Differences in health 2 The plan demonstrates collaboration with public health officials, that are avoidable, unfair, or unjust6 public health advocates, relevant institutions, and/or stakeholder groups. 0 Not mentioned 1 Mentions receiving
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