Transportation and Recreational Infrastructure Development: Transport and Land Use Measures for Public Health Comparisons

Abstract

Understanding how transportation and recreational development projects impact local communities, specifically with regard to public health, is critical for continued investment. The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of transportation and recreational infrastructure projects, specifically parks, pools, and trails, on local communities with a preliminary connection to public health measures. Two objectives are achieved: (1) develop a process for analyzing transportation and recreational infrastructure using project-specific and network-specific metrics and (2) implement the process through a pilot study in central Pennsylvania. Projects funded under Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Community Conservation Partnership Program (PA DCNR C2P2) within four counties (Lycoming, Northumberland, Snyder, and Union) are analyzed. The results are synthesized at the project as well as the minor civil division (MCD) level in order to reflect the opportunity for health measure comparisons. Highlights include strong positive correlations between population density and trail demand metrics as well as pool demand and walkable household density metrics. Metrics are then further analyzed in relation to neighborhood obesity rates.