12.10.14 | New York, NY | As 2014 draws to a close, the Center for Active Design is celebrating a year of forging innovative new partnerships and expanding a network of professionals who are inspired to promote health through design.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2014

EXPLORING DESIGN + CIVIC ENGAGEMENT WITH KNIGHT FOUNDATION
The Center hosted an advisory session on “Designing for Robust Engagement” funded by the Knight Foundation. We convened multidisciplinary experts to explore the relationship between design and civic engagement. We look forward to continuing this work with Knight, with the ultimate goal of developing a manual of practical design strategies that can foster more social connections, political participation, resident involvement in creating vibrant public spaces, and a civic vision broadly held and acted upon. http://centerforactivedesign.org/knightpressrelease
 
ADVANCING ACTIVE DESIGN IMPLEMENTATION IN NYC
The Center grew out of NYC’s work on Active Design, and we continue to collaborate with our City partners to advance implementation. This year's achievements: conducting more than 20 training sessions with professionals; providing direct technical assistance to 3 affordable housing projects in schematic design phase; and collaborating with Brookdale Hospital to identify design opportunities for promoting health among the hospital community. The Center also supported a new stair bill that allows NYC buildings to use magnetic hold-open devices on fire stair doors.

BUILDING HEALTHY PLACES WITH THE URBAN LAND INSTITUTE
The Center is the expert content advisor to the Urban Land Institute's Building Healthy Places initiative. Over the past year we've worked together to develop a Toolkit that outlines evidence-based strategies for enhancing health outcomes in development projects, based on a thorough review of health literature. Scheduled for publication in early 2015, this resource targets professionals who shape buildings and projects, including developers, owners, property managers, designers, and investors. http://centerforactivedesign.org/uli

BRINGING ACTIVE DESIGN TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING WITH THE PARTNERSHIP FOR A HEALTHIER AMERICA
The Center has joined with the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) to work with leaders in the real estate development community on prioritizing health in the design and development of affordable housing buildings. Led by First Lady Michelle Obama, PHA is devoted to working with the private sector to ensure the health of our nation's youth by solving the childhood obesity crisis.
 
CELEBRATING PROJECT SUCCESSES IN THE REGION OF PEEL, ONTARIO, CANADA
Since 2012 the Center has provided technical assistance to support Healthy Peel by Design. This year saw the completion of several major Active Design initiatives at Peel's regional buildings, including stairwell renovations, installation of protected bicycle storage, and the transformative redesign of an outdoor space. Peel also released its Affordable Housing Active Design Guidelines and Standards, which will facilitate opportunities for physical activity among the region’s affordable housing residents. http://centerforactivedesign.org/peel

HOSTING THE FIRST CENTER FOR ACTIVE DESIGN: EXCELLENCE AWARDS
In May 2014, we hosted the very first Center for Active Design: Excellence competition to recognize innovation in Active Design implementation. A jury of design and health experts selected the diverse winning projects from around the world. Stay tuned for more information on the upcoming 2015 competition! A call for projects will be released in January. For more information on how your business can support these awards, click here. http://centerforactivedesign.org/support

EXPANDING THE GLOBAL ACTIVE DESIGN CONVERSATION
Through our website, we’ve been able to connect online visitors from nearly 180 countries to the latest health literature, best practices, and case studies on Active Design, resulting in an average of 13,000 page views a month. We've also continued to reach professionals through trainings, workshops, and speaking engagements, having educated nearly 4,000 individuals in the past two years.

SUPPORT OUR WORK!
Just last month, the global cost of obesity was reported to have risen to $2 trillion annually—nearly as much as smoking, or the combined impact of armed violence, war, and terrorism. With your help, we can reverse this trend by providing more of the Active Design tools and resources that designers, developers, policy makers, and community members need. http://centerforactivedesign.org/donate

Center for Active Design • 31 Chambers Street • Suite 608 • New York, NY 10007 • USA