Get Active Orlando represents a model for municipal governments that are interested in improving a downtown and surrounding neighborhoods for active living. For example, the lead partner, the City of Orlando Planning Department, now requires design elements that support active living when approving new commercial development in the downtown business district. The partnership complements these types of improvements with promotional efforts that encourage physical activity.

Get Active Orlando’s vision is to establish and brand downtown Orlando and its adjacent neighborhoods as an “Active Living District,” with residents, employees, and others in the downtown area routinely making the active choices in an environment that encourages safe physical activity. To this end, Get Active Orlando conducted a large-scale assessment process in which residents, students, and professionals evaluated the walkability and bikeability of 620 acres of downtown neighborhood streets. The data collected for this pedestrian and bicycle “level of service” analysis was used in a community-wide visioning process and will ultimately help shape the downtown transportation master plan and capital improvements in the district.

Plans for the Get Active Orlando partnership include developing and implementing a social marketing campaign that focuses on the importance of daily active living and developing a “Point of Choice” campaign which educates people that they have the choice to take stairs over elevators. Activate Orlando! will also take a role in evaluating parks within the downtown Orlando district, advising on active living improvements and in evaluating bicycle parking infrastructure.

This organization was one of 25 demonstration projects selected by Active Living by Design, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).

Promote active living and improve bicycle and pedestrian access