City Council votes to adopt Rochester 2034 Comprehensive Plan
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 in the plan will ensure the City of Rochester is the best mid-sized city to live, work and PLAY. Learn more.
Common Ground Health report finds that poverty is the top health concern
Poverty is the top health concern across urban, rural and suburban communities in the Finger Lakes region. Common Ground Health produced Overloaded: The Heavy Toll of Poverty on our Region's Health, a report that connects health data, personal stories and analysis of almost 7,000 responses to our My Health Story survey conducted in 2018. The research shows that poverty drives health inequities that lead to avoidable diseases and early mortality linked to income, race and other factors.
One of the questions from the My Health Story survey addressed the most important concerns that affect children in our region. Diet and nutrition was found to be the top health concern (30%) that the county should focus on regarding children, with mental/emotional health issues coming in second at 20%. The report concludes that investing in addressing the root causes of the health inequities is necessary. Learn more.
Partner Spotlight
Sue Steele, Landscape Architect of the Play Walk
The Play Walk ribbon cutting on October 24, 2019, was a success due to the collective effort of the many different community partners that worked on the project. A huge shout out goes to Sue Steele who was instrumental in the Play Walk's success as the Landscape Architect for the project.
Sue coordinated the youth design program with teens at the Central Library, created the Play Walk website and the youth design blog. For the program, she worked alongside artist Shawn Dunwoody to teach the teens about landscape architecture, design, community engagement, and the budget process. The teens also collected feedback from community residents and used it to sketch out their ideas on a map. Overall, teens from the program shared that they were "excited to be a part of something that positively impacted the community". Sue led the final design of the Play Walk trail, bringing the youth vision to reality. She worked with various manufacturers to select and order play equipment and coordinated with the City of Rochester to lay out and install the design for Play Walk.
Sue is the owner of Sue Steele Landscape Architecture PLLC, a NYS certified Women Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) in Fairport, NY. Her Landscape Architecture studio was created from a vision to create beautiful environments that promote positive impacts on our environment and health.
Upcoming events:
December 13, 2019 - The inaugural NYSB5 Statewide Parent Leadership Conference will be held on Friday, December 13, 2019 from 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM at the Hyatt Regency Rochester. This conference is free for parents and provides tools and resources to navigate New York's early childhood system.
December 18, 2019 - Join us at "A Place at the Table: A Conversation about Our Local Food System". The conversation will take place on Wednesday, December 18, 2019 from 5:30 to 8:30 PM at The Little Theatre. Enjoy delicious catering and beverages from Foodlink's Community Kitchen. Learn more.
January 28, 2020 - The Children's Institute invites you to join Understanding and Supporting the Whole Child: A Community Book Study. The study is focused on increasing awareness around issues that impact the social emotional wellness and development of children. The sessions will be held on January 28, March 31 and May 26, 2020 from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm. Register here.
In the news:
Rochester Business Journal "Architecture of play" plays out across streets and structures of Rochester
El Mensajero Católico Street makeover aims to protect, beautify North Clinton neighborhood
Reclaiming the Narrative Beechwood neighborhood pushing to make traffic-calming measures permanent
Zero to Three Member Corner: Annual Conference 2019: The view from our member
