Vickery Is Active
A collaborative project led by the Community Council, its vision is to transform Vickery Meadow, a culturally diverse, urban Dallas neighborhood that contains few places for residents to walk safely or for children to play, into a secure community that encourages residents to be on the sidewalks walking, jogging, hiking, and biking in a pedestrian‐friendly environment.
A Plan and Projects for a Safer, Active Neighborhood
VICKERY IS ACTIVE community stakeholders and collaborative partners will develop a plan and begin implementing projects that encourage and support physical activity by enhancing infrastructure to support walking. The plan will include activities to encourage residents to use the infrastructure improvements and measure increases in physical activity through the project.
VICKERY IS ACTIVE is a collaborative project led by the Community Council of Greater Dallas (CCGD). Its vision is to transform Vickery Meadow, a culturally diverse, urban Dallas neighborhood that contains few places for residents to walk safely or for children to play into a secure community that encourages residents to be on the sidewalks walking, jogging, hiking, and biking in a pedestrian-friendly environment.
Collaboration for a Healthier Lifestyle
Anticipating the growing crisis in childhood obesity, the Community Council and Children’s Medical Center founded the Dallas Area Coalition to Prevent Childhood Obesity (DACPCO) in 2005. The coalition promotes healthy lifestyles for Dallas area children through physical activity and nutrition. The group includes representatives from 140 organizations: health and human service providers, business, government, schools, civic and service organizations, and faith-based groups. More than 375 individuals participate.
Why Vickery Meadow?
DACPCO chose Vickery Meadow as its first community for piloting childhood obesity prevention programs in 2007. A high-density neighborhood in Dallas zip code 75231, it contains 95 multi-family properties, 112 businesses, five public schools, and only two single-family homes in a 3.5 square mile area. The population includes large numbers of children, high levels of economic need and is extremely diverse. Hundreds of refugees are resettled in the neighborhood each year. More than two-dozen languages are spoken within the area. However, the neighborhood is assisted by a “critical mass” of neighborhood advocates and organizations already working together through the Vickery Meadow Improvement District to make Vickery Meadow a healthier, safer place to live.
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Vickery Meadow Facts:
. Most of the children in area schools qualify for free or reduced price meals due to family incomes below 185% of poverty.
. More than one-third of adults in Dallas zip code 75231, which includes Vickery Meadow, are obese, according to Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey data.
. Rates of overweight and obesity among Dallas Independent School District high school students exceed Texas and U.S. figures, according to the 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. More than 66% said they were not participating in sufficient moderate exercise.
. In 2008 FITNESSGRAM® data showed that only 20% of Dallas ISD third grade students reached the “Healthy Fitness Zone” on all six tests compared to 30% of all third grade Texas students.
A Plan and Projects for a Safer, Active Neighborhood
VICKERY IS ACTIVE community stakeholders and collaborative partners will develop a plan and begin implementing projects that encourage and support physical activity by enhancing infrastructure to support walking.
The planning process includes a comprehensive assessment of neighborhood infrastructure and human factors that contribute to or inhibit walking. Focus groups will be conducted with children and adult residents in multiple languages. Key contacts in business, government, real estate, schools and community planning will be interviewed to assess future developments that will affect infrastructure plans. A walk ability survey and review of relevant scientific literature will be conducted.
The Stakeholder Committee will review the needs assessment, consider best practices, and decide upon specific environmental change projects to make walking a safer, easier choice in the neighborhood. The plan will include activities to encourage residents to use the infrastructure improvements and measure increases in physical activity through the project.
For more information contact: Marilyn Self, LMSW-AP
Phone 214-871-5065 Ext. 212 or 214-954-4212
