Opportunities for Integrating Public Health and Urban Planning Approaches to Promote Active Community Environments

Synopsis The growing emphasis on promoting environmental change as a means to increase physical activity has motivated conversation and collaboration between researchers and practitioners in the fields of public health and urban planning. Although these fields share similar objectives, their methodological approaches for examining the association between the environment and behavior often differ in significant ways. To facilitate communication, this article discusses ways these fields can collaborate in developing and applying conceptual frameworks, adopting behavioral and environmental measures, and strengthening study designs. By collaborating to build synergism in research and dissemination, public health and urban planning professionals can enhance efforts to increase the number of communities that promote active living.