Ann Arbor went for the gold and got it! The city was recently awarded a gold-level Active Communities Award.
An Active Communities Award is a fancy, bureaucratic way of saying a community that encourages people to get around by walking, running, bicycling and just about any way other than automobile. Needless to say, having one of those at the "gold level" says that community is really good at it.
Michigan's Promoting Active Communities Program pushed communities across the state to create and maintain an infrastructure that encourages physical activity, like walking, running and bicycling. Ann Arbor is one of 95 communities participating in the program and 23 that won an award.
Ann Arbor received its kudos because the city coordinates its efforts with a number of local organizations, such as Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, Ann Arbor Public Schools, Ann Arbor Transportation Authority and the Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce.
Among the city's attributes that helped it get to the gold level, which is the second highest designation, are bike lanes, promoting Curb-Your-Car Month and developing the Border-to-Border Trail, among others.
Other statistics that helped Ann Arbor are:
- The city has been named the No. 10 Greenest Commuter Community
- 7.9 percent of city residents bike or walk to work (the U.S. averages 3.21 percent)
- AARP ranked it the No. 1 Healthiest Hometown in the U.S.
- Prevention Magazine and the American Podiatric Medical Association designated it No. 3 as the Best Walking City.
Source: City of Ann Arbor
Writer: Jon Zemke
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