To qualify for the Healthy Utah Community designation, cities and towns must implement strategies to improve active living. Below is a list of recommended strategies with resources for each.
Recommended Active Living Strategies
Conduct a messaging campaign to promote physical activity in your community
Encourage community members to move more and meet physical activity guidelines by creating a community-wide messaging campaign.
Resources
Offer free and/or low-cost community sports and fitness programs for adults and children
Establish sports leagues, fitness classes, and community programs to provide adults and children with the opportunity to get active and learn new physical skills.
Resources
Organize a free or low-cost fitness event for your community
Offer opportunities for your community to gather and engage together in physical activity. Examples include community runs and triathlons, family bike rides, fitness challenges, etc.
Resources
- Fun Run Planning Checklist
- Tip Sheet: Organizing Bike Trains
- Oversimplified: How to Organize a Group Bike Ride
- 22 Fun Fitness and Sport Event Ideas
Develop a new walking/biking trail or add to an existing one
Expand or create new outdoor trails in your community.
Resources
Add wayfinding signage for trails that provide both time and distance for routes
Help community members confidently navigate trails by providing wayfinding signage that includes both the distance and estimated time to complete routes.
Resources
- Salt Lake City Signage Guidelines
- Utah County Wayfinding Plan
- MAG Wayfinding for Multi-Use Paths: Placement and Style Guide
- Avid Trails: Signage and Wayfinding
Address active transportation connectivity gaps between key community destinations
Ensure community members can successfully navigate across the community and between their designation without a car by addressing active transportation connectivity gaps.
Resources
- Bike Utah: Active Transportation Benefits Study
- Rails to Trails Conservancy
- WFRC Utah Street Connectivity Guide
- UTA First/Last Mile Strategies Study
- Utah Department of Transportation Move Utah
- Wasatch Front Regional Council
Conduct a Movability Audit
Movability audits can engage community members and help identify opportunities to improve street conditions, while informing planning and traffic safety projects.
Resources
- America Walks: How to Conduct a Walk Audit in Your Community
- Safe Routes to School: What is a Walk Audit
- NCHPAD: Conducting a Walk Audit
Establish joint-use agreements for a physical activity facility
Increase opportunities to safely exercise by establishing joint-use agreement for facilities such as school playgrounds, track fields, etc.
Resources
- Change Labe Solutions: What is a Joint-Use Agreement?
- County Health Rankings and Roadmaps: Evidence for Joint Use Agreements
- Model Joint Use Agreement Resources
Improve physical activity among youth by promoting a physical activity resource, program, or best practice in schools
Improve physical activity among children and youth by introducing a physical activity resource, program, or best practice into local schools.
Resources
Create an active transportation plan or update an existing one
Active transportation plans lay the foundation for community infrastructure that encourages walking, biking, and other healthy modes of transportation.
Resources
Adopt an ordinance that requires new subdivisions to provide sidewalks and lights
Safe, well-lit sidewalks provide access for residents to walk in neighborhoods and communities. When sidewalks are maintained, members of the community can safely be more physically active.
Resources
Adopt a Complete Streets policy requirement for new development
A Complete Streets policy accounts for the safety and needs of all who will be using a roadway-- whether on foot, bicycle, skateboard or scooter, using a wheelchair or car, etc.
Resources
- Smart Growth America: Adopting a Strong Complete Streets Policy
- Land Use Academy of Utah: Complete Streets. What are They?
- StreetPlan: Planning Tool
Update ordinances, zoning, and land use policies to promote physical activity and active transportation
Effective planning and policies can ensure that communities remain safe for outdoor physical activity as they grow.
Resources
Provide supplemental infrastructure to improve walking and biking-friendly environments in your community
Encourage walking and biking by increasing access to amenities throughout the community, such as bicycle racks in key locations, water stations, benches, etc.
Resources
Implement a Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design strategy to improve public safety while recreating outdoors
Encourage walking and biking by increasing access to amenities throughout the community, such as bicycle racks in key locations, water stations, benches, etc.
Resources
- The International Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Association
- Building Resilience: Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design
Implement one new worksite wellness strategy around physical activity among city employees and/or local businesses
Protect worker health by implementing and incentivizing policies that promote the physical and mental health of employees.
Resources
- Utah Worksite Wellness Council
- Utah Department of Health and Human Services: Worksite Wellness Best Practices
Partner with a local organization to implement a program listed on the Physical Activity Menu of Services
In addition to the above strategies, you may also choose to implement a program listed in the Physical activity Menu of Services. Each program you implement will be counted as a strategy towards the designation.
Is your community doing other things that you think may qualify you for the Healthy Utah Community designation?
Contact us at