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Active Living Hennepin County is a partnership of cities, businesses and nonprofits working together to make the active choice (walking, biking, and taking public transit) the easy choice by integrating health with land use and transportation decision-making. Health begins in the places where we live, learn, work, and play.Visit Active Living to learn more.
Karen Nikolai
Healthy Community Planning Manager
612-348-8089
Laura Fredrick-Wang
Healthy Community Planning Analyst
612-543-1966
Nadine Chalmers
Active Living Planner
612-348-3986
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The Active Living newsletter is back after a brief hiatus. Thanks for reading, and please contact us with any questions or comments.
 Supporting and expanding opportunities for residents to live a healthy, active lifestyle is an important part of my mission at Hennepin County. In addition to serving as co-chair of the Active Living Hennepin County Partnership, I’ve been working to support biking and walking in Hennepin County in a number of ways. In April, my fellow commissioners and I approved the 2040 Hennepin County Bicycle System Plan, which will guide the county’s work to expand the bikeway system, improve safety for people who bicycle, walk or drive, increase bicycling for transportation, and improve the health of county residents. In May, I joined several other women on a panel about women and bicycling at the 2015 PedalMN bike conference, where we discussed strategies to close the gender gap in cycling. Also in May, I took part in the Commuter Challenge as part of Bike Week, where I used the LRT and a NiceRide to race Councilwoman Lisa Bender (on bike) a Star Tribune reporter (on LRT), and a Car-to-go staffer (in a car) from Target Field Station to Minnehaha Park, finishing in second place behind Councilwoman Lisa Bender. Finally, I set a goal this summer of increasing the number of times I bike to work, and have succeeded. I not only feel more active and healthy, I also feel more confident on my bike. I have proved to myself that commuting by bike is possible for people of all skill levels.
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In July, the cities of Hopkins and Brooklyn Center both used
demonstration projects to seek community input on walking, biking, and other
public space improvements. The ARTery experiment in Hopkins demonstrated some of the changes that are under consideration for
Hopkins’ Eighth Avenue when the Southwest light rail transit (LRT) opens,
including a protected bike lane, public seating, art installations, and other
features to make the street more inviting for walking and biking.
 The ARTery Experiment in Hopkins, July 11, 2015
In Brooklyn Center, the city partnered with Three Rivers Park District to test possible designs for the Twin Lakes regional trail connection, which will connect the North Mississippi Regional Trail with the Shingle Creek Regional Trail along 57th Avenue. The trail will be constructed in 2016, incorporating feedback from residents and trail users who participated in the event. Both demonstration projects were funded by Hennepin County through the Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP).
 Demonstration project on 57th Avenue in Brooklyn Center, July 25, 2015
 This summer, six Brooklyn Center police officers have been
patrolling on bikes thanks to the city’s Statewide Health Improvement Program
(SHIP) grant with Hennepin County. So far, patrolling on bikes has been an effective crime prevention strategy. It has
also had a positive impact on community relations and helped Brooklyn Center
build awareness on the need for motorists to share the road with people on
bikes. “People say that they love to see us out in the community and that it is
really cool that we are on bikes,” said Sgt Pat Toohey. Brooklyn Center’s new bike
officers completed an intensive International Police Mountain Bike Association
(IPMBA) training conducted by Sgt. Mike Johnson with the Hopkins Police
Department.
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Active Living Hennepin County is looking for qualified individuals to join our team. The Healthy
Communities Planner position will focus on the integration of transportation,
land use, community and economic development and health, and includes an
emphasis on the upcoming 2018 comprehensive planning cycle and its
implementation, along with broader planning functions. See the job posting at http://www.hennepin.us/jobs/job-opportunities. The position closes on September 10.
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The METRO Blue Line Extension will bring light rail transit (LRT) to northwest Hennepin County, with stations in Minneapolis, Golden Valley, Crystal, Robbinsdale, and Brooklyn Park. Planning for the neighborhoods around the stations in Crystal, Robbinsdale, and Brooklyn Park is underway, including identifying ways to walk and bike to the stations. Visit bottineaustations.mysidewalk.com to weigh in on these important plans. |
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is offering technical assistance to support local food production through their Local Foods, Local Places initiative. Successful applicants benefit from a team of experts who help community members develop action plans that use local foods to support healthy families and communities and to drive downtown and neighborhood revitalization. For more information and a link to the application, visit http://www2.epa.gov/smart-growth/local-foods-local-places. The application deadline is September 15, 2015.
The Minnesota Departments of Health and Transportation have
teamed up to work on a statewide pedestrian plan. This summer and fall, they
are talking to people across Minnesota to find out how to make walking and
rolling easy, safe, and desirable for all Minnesotans. Visit http://minnesotawalks.org/ to read more
and share your thoughts.
A recent study of 4,000 adults in the U.K. found that people
who switched from driving to walking, bicycling, or taking public transit to
work lost an average of more than 2 pounds, reports the Wall Street Journal.
Working physical activity into a daily commute helps people lose weight and
keep weight off, unlike dieting and going to the gym, which can fall by the
wayside after a few months.
A bicycle commuter on the Midtown Greenway in Minneapolis
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