Building Active Communities
Assessment Tool
Community Assessment Tool
The Building Active Communities by Connecting Everyday Destinations with Activity-Friendly Routes Active Community Assessment Tool was created to assist community organizations, public health professionals and related disciplines in creating active community environments that promote and foster health.
We recommend completing the PDF copy of the assessment tool before completing the online version here.
The purpose of this tool is to help committed, cross-sector teams create an action plan for improving community-built environments that promote physical activity consistent with their community context. The tool focuses on leveraging cross-sector commitment, understanding community context, developing an action plan, evaluating the impact, and integrating into a community-wide effort.
The tool is divided into five modules including:
- Policies and Planning for Active Transportation Systems
- Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety and Facilities
- Community Resources for Physical Activity
- Schools
- Public Transportation
There are five assessment modules. The modules are designed to help users identify specific opportunities for action, or engagement within their community within each area. They can build upon existing assessments by helping users and their partners “drill down” and further clarify opportunities for action or engagement. This may allow users to better articulate the specific plans, policies, and resources they will work on addressing, such as master plans, zoning codes, and funding priorities or to improve the quality of specific components or provisions in those documents.
Active Communities Tool
The Active Communities Tool (ACT): An Action Planning Guide and Assessment Modules to Improve Community Built Environments to Promote Physical Activity helps committed, cross-sector teams create an action plan for improving community-built environments that promote physical activity consistent with their community context.
