The data for this Performance Measure will be collected from community organizations who choose to partner with Buncombe County Health & Human Services (HHS) and North Carolina HHS Health Communities and Advancing Equity initiatives to conduct walkability assessments for designated areas of Buncombe County.

https://abipa.org/

The “story behind the measure” is a compilation of narrative from lived experiences shared during community listening sessions on the 2021 CHA health focus areas and cross-cutting results related to dismantling white supremacy culture and creating trauma-informed systems for a resilient community. The included “story” narrative below focuses more broadly on the systemic factors in the community environment in which programs operate and function. As programs and performance measures begin and/or strengthen, there will be organic opportunities for direct narrative collection to occur from program staff providing implementation and from community members engaged in the program’s services.

The "Story Behind the Curve" helps us understand the causes and forces at that work that explain the data behind increasing walkability assessments in Buncombe County.

What's Helping What We Do?

These are the positive forces at work in our strategy/ program that influence how much we do or how well we do it.

• Free public parks, trails, river access - public greenway spaces

• Creating opportunities for community voices to be heard that will influence programming/services/access, including walkability

What's Hurting What We Do?

These are the negative forces at work in our strategy/program that influence how much we do or how well we do it.

• Community violence, shootings, crime, etc.

• Transportation challenges - some individuals are not able to be mobile (i.e. walk or use a bicylce), experience issues with accessing transportation supports, including cost, and coverage/routes

• Poor management/condition of rental community properties - potentially unsafe physical environments

The following actions have been identified as ideas for what can work for this performance measure to make a difference on chronic disease.

(A) Actions and Approaches

These are actions and approaches that we think can make a difference for this performance measure.

• Preserving historic green spaces in BIPOC communities

• Committment from elected officials to stop gentrification

• Address the financial impact of gentrification on BIPOC tax values - particularly increased property values leads to increased taxes, which forces BIPOC residents out of their own community

(B) No-cost and Low-cost Ideas

These are no-cost and low-cost actions and approaches that we think can make a difference for this performance measure.

• Partnering with other community health and outreach services to bring healthy movement-related activities and programming to the communities in need

• Increased public awareness and education on chronic disease and root causes

(C) What BIPOC Buncombe County residents think

These are actions and approaches that our customers think can make a difference for this performance measure.

• Addressing systemic racism within urban renewal, real estate development, and housing practices

• Giving land back to historic communities - support increased access to green spaces

(D) List of Questions/Research Agenda

These are questions to follow-up on for this performance measure. 

• What are policy-level interventions that could support progress on access to safe walking options?