Validating a comprehensive plan scoring system for healthy community design in League City, Texas

J Urban Des (Abingdon). 2020;25(2):203-217. doi: 10.1080/13574809.2019.1572453. Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Abstract

Comprehensive plans provide an overall vision for a city's land use and development and influence community health conditions. As part of a community-engaged research project, a Healthy Living and Active Design Scorecard was applied to the comprehensive plan of League City, Texas, to identify health-promoting design and planning strategies. Although the plan scored similarly to published examples, several areas of improvement aligned with priorities from a community health assessment were identified, including improving public transportation and access to exercise and recreation. Future revisions of the plans and neighbourhood scaled designs targeting these issues could improve the health of the community.