The City of Corpus Christi allocated $2.8 million in 2024 to the Health District to implement community health programs, with a particular focus on combating obesity, which affects 40% of residents and contributes to serious health problems.
While their weekly fitness programs and leaflets provide value to some, it is essential to implement effective, evidence-based solutions for a population of 316,000 to achieve meaningful impact. Research consistently highlights the powerful impact of urban planning on promoting physical activity and improving community health outcomes.
The least obese cities in America, including Seattle, Denver, and Boston, have more in common than just their health statistics. These cities excel in fostering active lifestyles through bike-friendly infrastructure, thoughtful urban planning, and compact, walkable neighborhoods.
Protected bike lanes dramatically boost ridership, with studies showing increases of up to 171%. Cities like Seattle, Denver, and Boston exemplify how investing in biking and active urban planning transforms communities:
Bike-Friendly Infrastructure
- Seattle: Ranked 5th in the U.S. for cycling, featuring over 150 miles of bike lanes.
- Denver: Offers 196 miles of on-street bike lanes and a robust citywide bike-share program.
- Boston: Continues to expand its cycling network, now with 120+ miles of bike paths and trails.
Active Urban Planning
- Access to Parks:
- Boston: An impressive 97% of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park.
- Denver: Features over 5,000 acres of parks and open spaces, encouraging outdoor activity.
Compact, Walkable Cities
- Walkability Scores:
- Seattle: 74/100
- Denver: 61/100
- Boston: 82/100
By combining protected bike lanes, accessible parks, and walkable neighborhoods, these cities set a high standard for active, healthy living.
City Budget – See page 81 https://www.corpuschristitx.gov/media/jsyf0pnu/fy-2024-2025-adopted-operating-budget.pdf
Corpus Christi Residents Obesity Rate
Academic journals on how urban planning affects community health
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9956976
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9326484
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/built-environment/articles/10.3389/fbuil.2024.1420020/full
https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12966-022-01399-6
https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12966-022-01399-6
https://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797%2802%2900475-0/fulltext
https://academic.oup.com/abm/article-abstract/52/3/239/4815762?redirectedFrom=fulltext