Healthy Nashville :: Initiative Centers :: Active Transportation Collaboration Center

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Active Transportation Collaboration Center

Whether walking, bicycling or using public transportation, active transportation can improve health outcomes and is better for the environment.

Nashville's Active Transportation Indicators

The risks of inactivity

Active transportation promotes physical activity. According to the Health and Human Service's Guidelines for Physical Activity, regular physical activity in adults has been shown to reduce the risk of:

Early death
Coronary heart disease
Stroke
High blood pressure
Type 2 diabetes
Breast and colon cancer
Depression

Additionally, in the same report it was stated that physical actvity in children and adolescents can:

Improve bone health
Improve cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness
Decrease levels of body fat
Reduce symptoms of depression

How does active transportation affect physical activity?

Healthy People 2020 highlights how physical activity levels are positively affected by:

Structural environments, such as the availability of sidewalks, bike lanes, trails, and parks
Legislative policies that improve access to facilities that support physical activity

As cities became more de-centralized due to urban sprawl over the past several decades, investment in public transportation and infrastructure in cities decreased. In Nashville and other cities across the country, communities are once again investing in the public transportation and other means of promoting active transportation, such as sidewalks, greenways, and bike lanes.