December 9, 2019

Healthi Kids is happy to celebrate City Council’s adoption of the Rochester 2034 Comprehensive Plan. The decision was made on November 12, 2019 and the new plan will replace the city’s previous comprehensive plan, which was completed in 1999. A comprehensive plan is a vision for the future – it sets all future policies, zoning and code decisions. This plan outlines the principles that will shape Rochester’s growth for the next 15 years. It’s the blueprint to guide our efforts to create more jobs, safer/more vibrant neighborhoods and better educational opportunities. We applaud the City of Rochester for putting kids first by including strategies that promote play as an essential component of a healthy city. Play is essential to the physical, social, emotional and cognitive development of kids and adopting this language into the plan will ensure the City of Rochester is the best mid-sized city to live, work and PLAY.

Over the last four years we advocated for changes to the comprehensive plan that put kids and play FIRST! We brought over 32 residents and youth to speak to council and submitted over 2,200 postcards and signatures sharing why play and kids were critical to the health of our city. We also participated in several work groups and community efforts to ensure health was front and center to the plan like the Comprehensive Access Mobility Plan (CAMP) Work Group and the Urban Agriculture Work Group.

Working alongside the city, we also piloted innovative things like play streets, play everywhere infrastructure, pop up play days, the complete streets makeover, traffic safety education campaigns, story walks, and more.  The chart below gives a snapshot of the progress the City has made over the last 20 years.

Our recommendations and work together have led to the inclusion of several goals, strategies and plans in Rochester 2034 to help the City of Rochester create a playable and kid friendly city. This includes strategies for improving neighborhood and traffic safety to encourage play, promoting accessible play, improving walkability and bikeability and supporting access to healthy foods.

By selecting principles that support healthy living, equity, resilience, prosperity and partnership, Healthi Kids is excited to work alongside the City of Rochester to implement this robust plan for years to come.

Comparing Rochester 2034 to the Rochester Renaissance Plan of 2010:

 

 Key Word

# of Mentions in ROC Renaissance Plan

# of Mentions in Rochester 2034

Active

16

188

Play

2

55

Recreation

29

120

Health / healthy

2

210

Children/Kids and Youth

6

80

Parks / play space

7

111

Placemaking

0

233

Walkability / Walkable / walk

15

50

Bikeability / Bikeable / bike

1

62

Healthy food / food

1

117

Urban agriculture / community gardens

0

55

10 Minute Walk to Park

0

4

Safe routes to schools, parks, recreations and libraries

0

5

Equity / equitable

0

34