by: Jessica Sheridan Assoc. AIA LEED AP
Most people in NYC think of the gym when they think of fitness, despite the fact that there are so many parks, bike lanes, and unexpected places to get in the 30-min-a-day workout recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Hopefully this will change as the urban fabric becomes more activity-friendly, thanks to publications like the “Active Design Guidelines: Promoting Physical Activity and Health in Design,” issued by the NYC Departments of Design and Construction, Health and Mental Hygiene, Transportation, and City Planning, among other agencies (See “Active Design Guidelines Tell NYC to Shape Up,” by Jacqueline Pezzillo, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP in this issue of e-Oculus). Seminal to its development was the annual Fit City conferences hosted by AIANY, a collaborator on the publication.
In addition to the many case studies, which give full credit to the architectural firms (!), the Guidelines are broken down into chapters covering environmental design and health; urban design; building design; and synergies with sustainable and universal design. Charts and checklists make referring to the recommendations easy. Especially useful to those of us inundated with LEED requirements is a chart that compares LEED to Active Design criteria.
What makes the Guidelines so valuable, in my opinion, is that the report goes beyond simple data supported by research. Each suggestion is organized into three categories: strong evidence; emerging evidence; and best practice. It is the last category that makes the book interesting, since it “indicates strategies without a formal evidence base. However, theory, common understandings of behavior, and experience from existing practice indicate that these measures will likely increase physical activity.” Recommendations include signposts on bikeways that provide directions, distances, and times to various destinations; or stairs designed to be easily maintained so they will encourage use and discourage graffiti and vandalism. These are ideas that seem obvious once on paper, but are not inherently integrated into architecture.
Overall, the Guidelines are easy to read, have a lot of great photographs of thought-provoking projects — from the Richard Morris Hunt’s Metropolitan Museum of Art to 41 Cooper Square by Morphosis Architects (the latest poster child for active design) — and are sure to catch the imagination of architects. Now is the time to roll out chairs from behind computer screens and actively engage with the built environment!