Melanie Haiken shares insight into the findings of the American Fitness Index (AFI), which assesses the "Health and Community Fitness Status of the 50 Largest Metropolitan Areas."

The American College of Sports Medicine, the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world, has released the newest edition of the American Fitness Index (AFI).
Planners should pay attention to the rating because it considers infrastructure rather than just culture: "The key to who wins and who loses in this particular competition is infrastructure. The AFI’s mission is to encourage cities to prioritize the health of their residents and spend and make improvements accordingly. So a city that just happens to have lots of gym-going, veggie-eating residents (think New York) is not necessarily going to rate, because the city’s culture and politics are not at work supporting residents in making health and lifestyle changes."
That's why this year's rating consider WalkScore ratings for the first time.
"One thing is clear; the west is winning the healthy lifestyle war. With the addition of San Diego, 6 of the top 10 cities are now on the West Coast. The Midwest boasts just one city in the top 10, the south not one."
As for some of the indicators of health in the country's healthiest metro, obesity rates are a good place to look, because "all five of the healthiest cities boasted obesity rates under 23 percent and smoking rates under 18 percent. (Just 10 percent for San Francisco and 13 percent for D.C.)"
FULL STORY: Top 20 Healthiest Cities In America 2014

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

The Five Most-Changed American Cities
A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.

San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan
The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.

Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts
Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.

Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement
An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.
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