Active travel and social justice: Addressing disparities and promoting health equity through a novel approach to Regional Transportation Planning
Public health impacts of transportation policies and infrastructure investment are becoming better understood, particularly for those associated with physical activity. Yet health impacts are not routinely evaluated within the context of the development of Regional Transportation Plans (RTP) and subsequent programming and investment processes. This is particularly concerning because the spatial distribution of planned transportation infrastructure has potentially large health equity implications for vulnerable populations far more at risk of chronic disease onset. This paper discusses the application of the National Public Health Assessment Model (NPHAM) – a new tool that extends several popular scenario planning tools to include health – for the San Joaquin Council of Governments 2018 RTP. This article demonstrates how including health equity analysis helps planners understand where infrastructure is most needed from a health equity point of view. It also helps assess the extent to which RTP strategies are likely to benefit or harm health. To the knowledge of the authors, this is the first example of a quantified, health equity analysis of transport physical activity and a health outcome – body mass index (BMI) - associated with an RTP. This application of NPHAM constitutes the basis for a significant advancement in planning practice.