What if we had the chance to make America’s cities thrive even more?
What if city leaders had a package of solutions to create healthier lives, stronger communities, and cities people
are proud to call home?
Answering those questions is at the heart of the de Beaumont Foundation’s CityHealth project. CityHealth
provides leaders with a package of proven, attainable policy solutions that will help millions of people live
longer, better lives in vibrant, prosperous communities. The project will score cities on the number and strength
of the policies they put into place, assign them a medal status—Gold, Silver or Bronze—and give them the
knowledge and support they need to be the best they can be.
Over the past 18 months, we’ve identified the top city-level policies that can move the dial on the quality of life
our big cities offer. These policies help individuals, government and businesses work together to make healthy
choices and create strong communities. Taken together, these solutions stand to have real, a tangible impact on
people’s day-to-day lives: from affordable housing, safe streets, and education to reducing the odds of
preventable death and chronic disease.
First identifying the policies with demonstrated scientific evidence, we developed the package in conjunction
with a blue ribbon panel of experts from across the political spectrum to ensure each one is under the purview
of city government, can be enacted through policy, and has a track record of bipartisan support.
Our list of policy priorities includes:
1. Employment benefits: Earned sick leave policies require employers to provide paid leave to workers for
their own, and sometimes their family members’ illness. Earned sick leave protects peoples’ jobs and
economic security, keeps adults and kids healthy, and prevents the spread of disease.
2. Education: Universal, high quality pre-kindergarten helps ensure that young children are better
prepared to enter Kindergarten prepared and ready to learn. Among its many benefits, high quality prek has been shown to boost high school graduation rates, reduce referrals to special education, and help
kids get screened for health concerns.
3. Affordable housing: Inclusionary zoning policies set aside a percentage of affordable apartments or
condos in newly-built developments. These policies help people afford to live and work in their
communities, boosting their economic security and quality of life.
4. Active living/transportation: Complete streets policies can help make sure city residents can travel
safely throughout their community—whether they go by foot, bike, public transit or car.
5. Public safety: Zoning regulations on alcohol outlet density help control the number of places in a
neighborhood that sell alcohol. Extensive evidence links alcohol use to crime and violence, from
homicide to rape to car accidents—and the more places that sell alcohol in a neighborhood, the higher
likelihood of these incidents.
6. Tobacco control: Tobacco 21 policies set the minimum age to purchase tobacco products at 21. By
curbing tobacco use among young adults, these policies have been shown to decrease the number of
people who start—and continue—smoking.
7. Environment: Comprehensive smoking bans keep tobacco out of workplaces, restaurants, bars, and
other places where people gather. They help curb the number of people who use tobacco, and
dramatically cut exposure to toxic secondhand smoke.
8. Food Safety: Restaurant grading policies require all restaurants to publicly display the results of their
food inspections. When done right, they help prevent the spread of foodborne illness and costly
outbreaks.
9. Nutrition: Healthy procurement policies set smart nutrition standards for all foods served and sold on
city property, from vending machines, concessions and cafeterias to city-run nursing homes and jails.
They make sure healthy options are available, whether people are eating some or all of their food on
city property.
We will also assess the effects of state pre-emption across the 40 cities by screening for laws prohibiting
municipalities from enacting paid sick and family leave policies and levying taxes on alcohol and tobacco.
What’s next? Over the coming months, we will use this policy blueprint to conduct an analysis of city laws in
order to help decision makers understand how their jurisdictions stack up. We’ll score cities on the strength of
each of CityHealth’s policy solutions, and then assign them an overall medal—Gold, Silver, or Bronze—based on
where they’re at today, and how far they can go to improve the vitality of their community.
By late 2016, CityHealth.org will have a highly visible national and city-level communications rollout, complete
with a fully interactive website, with a map of policy solutions to help our nation’s major cities lead and
innovate. The site will allow users to look into the evidence, compare and contrast policies, and understand
what it takes to move from status quo to cutting edge. This will be an opportunity for city leaders to use this
forum to help gain support and attention for their public policy priorities. CityHealth now is working to identify
key partners and strategies for best helping and partnering with key city influencers.
The project will host a series of convenings with city leaders and policy experts across the country to showcase
smart solutions and where innovation is taking hold. Down the line, we’ll build alliances with decision makers
and key local allies to spur advances in the urban policies most likely to move the dial for cities’ quality of life.
At the end of the day, CityHealth seeks to help cities become the places we all want to call home: safe, vibrant,
and offering people the chance to live well. We believe that when city leaders have the tools and know-how to
pass policies that improve people’s quality of life, it does more than make America’s big cities more attractive
place to live. It makes them places where people want to raise their families. Where children will want to stay
as adults and raise families of their own, and where others will want to move. And that’s what makes any city,
its economy, and its neighborhoods grow and thrive.
To learn more about this effort, please contact CityHealth principal investigator, Shelley Hearne, at
[email protected], or by phone at 202-669-7910. You can also contact CityHealth Project Director, Beth Jacob,
at [email protected], or by phone at 202-997-7482.
To learn more about the de Beaumont Foundation, please visit www.debeaumont.org