Do your surroundings lack outdoor physical activity opportunities and spaces for you and your program participants? Sidewalks that are maintained, parks and other greenspace, and connected walking routes are all parts of the design of a community that can support physical activity. Community mental health organizations can join other stakeholders, including residents, to advocate for neighbourhoods that are designed to support activities such as walking and other forms of active transportation.

To help you learn about taking action in your community, the Heart and Stroke Foundation has developed a toolkit called “Shaping Active, Healthy Communities.” The toolkit includes information on:

• How community design affects heart health
• What works in activity-friendly, healthy community design
• Local planning processes and opportunities for community input
• Tips and tools for taking action to encourage activity, and healthy design in your own community
• Canadian communities that are implementing activity-friendly, healthy design
• What the Heart and Stroke Foundation is doing to support active/healthy design
 

Find the "Shaping Active, Healthy Communities" toolkit from the Heart and Stroke Foundation in the advocacy section of our resource directory.