Join Community Commons in congratulating Active Living By Design on their ten years of pioneering work in active living and healthy eating. Over the course of several weeks, the Commons will highlight ALBD’s commemorative milestones in a series of Features.
Inspiring stories drive advocacy work, but it is research and data that ultimately proves whether a strategy is a success or still a work in progress. ALBD features the following noteworthy publications that provide evidence-based, successful approaches to improve health in communities.
Community Guide for Preventive Services – CDC
A free resource to help communities choose evidence-based programs and policies to improve health and prevent disease.

Recommended Community Strategies and Measurements to Prevent Obesity in the United States – CDC This report identifies and recommends a set of strategies and associated measurements that communities and local governments can use to plan and monitor environmental and policy-level changes for obesity prevention.
Action Strategies Toolkit – Leadership for Healthy Communities A collection of current best approaches for healthy eating and active living that have been identified, evaluated, and selected by Leadership for Healthy Communities.
Research Briefs – ALR
Research briefs summarize peer-reviewed research about active living and activity-friendly environments.
Research Results – HER
Research results summarize peer-reviewed research about healthy eating.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine Supplements devoted to Active Living by Design
- Evaluation of Active Living by Design, November 2012
- Active Living by Design: Best Practices from the Field, December 2009
F as in Fat – Trust for America’s Health
This annual report contains major findings on projected state obesity rates, new disease cases and health care costs in 2030 and provides policy recommendations on how to address the obesity epidemic in the United States.
Collective Impact – Stanford Social Innovation Review This essay demonstrates how large-scale social change requires broad cross-sector coordination, despite the fact that the social sector remains focused on the isolated intervention of individual organizations.
Equity as the Superior Growth Model – PolicyLink This report makes the case that racial and economic inclusion is critical to succeeding in the global economy.
Why Johnny Can’t Walk to School – The National Trust for Historic Preservation This report examines public policy effects on historic neighborhood school expansion, renova
Complete Streets Policy Analysis – National Complete Streets Coalition This publication documents the growth of the diverse “Complete Streets” movement and its strengths by analyzing the more than 350 existing written policies adopted by states, regions, counties and communities.
Bridging the Evidence Gap in Obesity Prevention: A Framework to Inform Decision Making – Prevention Institute A practical, action-oriented framework to guide the use of evidence in decision making about obesity prevention policies and programs and to guide the generation of new and relevant evidence.
ALBD elaborates on each of these tools in their commemorative milestone Ten of our favorite publications.
Related Features:
- Active Living By Design: Ten Years of Pioneering Work
- Active Living By Design: Stories from Community Partners
- Active Living By Design: Ten Years of Reflections
- Active Living By Design: Ten Years of Partnerships
- Active Living By Design: Reflections from Grantees
- Active Living By Design: Ten Years of Lessons Learned
- Active Living By Design: Ten Years of Innovate Tools
- Active Living By Design: Ten Years of Noteworthy Publications
- Active Living By Design: Ten Reasons to be Hopeful