Researchers to Study Possible Link between Zoning Code Reforms and Physical Activity

Researchers at the University of Chicago’s Institute for Health Policy and Research recently received a $1.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to evaluate how zoning code reforms impact adult physical activity levels.

The study’s goal is to determine whether changes in community-level land use, such as adding sidewalks, trails, and bike paths, results in increased physical activity levels among residents. Researchers will evaluate municipal and county zoning codes representing more than half of the U.S. population, comparing adult physical activity levels in communities with and without zoning code reforms. (Researchers have identified communities in at least 35 states that made such reforms.)

Study results will be shared with (1) municipalities and counties across the country and (2) public health, urban planning, transportation, and active living organizations.