Active People, Healthy Nation highlights safe‑street strategies; Savannah’s REACH team outlines 30‑mile Tide to Town trail

Ken Rose, chief of the Physical Activity and Health Branch in CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, described Active People, Healthy Nation (APHN) as a multi‑strategy initiative aiming to get 27 million more people physically active by 2027 and stressed that equity and inclusion must form the foundation of the work. “Walking and rolling are the most approachable forms of physical activity,” Rose said, and he emphasized that built‑environment changes — sidewalks, complete streets and reduced distances to destinations — are central to creating routine opportunities for activity.

Rose cited national survey findings showing large gaps in access: roughly 30 percent of people reported having access to safe streets and only about 14 percent reported both safe streets and safe, convenient access to walking‑supportive locations. He said roughly a third of adults reported that drivers follow posted speed limits in their neighborhoods and noted that in one national sample “over 80 percent of adults reported favoring or strongly favoring safer street design even if it made driving slower.” Rose referenced a Smart Growth America analysis (Dangerous by Design) showing pedestrian fatalities concentrate where cars travel faster and disproportionately affect communities of color, which underpins APHN’s emphasis on equitable investments.

Rose described DNPAO’s grant portfolio — more than 60 recipients in the State Physical Activity and Nutrition program, the High Obesity Program and Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health — and highlighted partner work (Smart Growth America, the National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research, the Physical Activity Policy Research and Evaluation Network). He encouraged use of APHN tools, sector‑specific resources and a model proclamation that some regions and states have already adopted.

Armand Turner, physical activity program manager at the YMCA of Coastal Georgia, presented a local example: REACH Savannah’s Active People Healthy Savannah work. Turner said downtown Savannah remains walkable but many neighborhoods lack infrastructure: about 70 percent of streets lack sidewalks on either side and roughly 35,000 residents live a mile or more from a grocery store. To address those gaps, Turner described a set of projects: a recently installed Price Street bike lane, the three‑mile Truman Linear Park Trail and a broader Tide to Town vision for a 30+ mile network that the team estimates will cost about $25–30 million. He said the city has secured $1 million from a special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) and aims to leverage that funding for additional investment.

Turner also described community outreach and tools: neighborhood walking audits, an app developed with a partner (Barge Design) that allows residents to log barriers in real time, walking school buses for Title I schools and transit signage with QR codes that link riders to local 'nutrition destinations.' Turner said the app is currently limited to the Savannah area while the partner explores wider deployment.

Both speakers framed these investments as safety and equity strategies that prevent traffic‑related injury and create everyday opportunities for activity. Rose and Turner urged communities to pair planning with local coalition work, to monitor economic and equity outcomes and to use APHN resources to adapt strategies to local needs.