Not everyone has just shy of 30 acres and nearly a half billion dollars to start a project.  But that doesn’t mean we can’t learn a lot from those who do – like real estate entrepreneur Peter Rummell and the project he’s putting together in Jacksonville.

The District Jacksonville will be one of the most exciting and comprehensive healthy real estate developments to watch over the next couple of years. Many real estate developers are starting to do at least something to promote healthy living. The District is going to do everything.

Prior to its re-branding as The District, this proposed development on the Southbank of the St. John’s River was known as the Healthy Town Concept.  And, presumably, there will be other Districts besides The District Jacksonville.

According to their marketing materials, The District Jacksonville is “designed from the ground up to provide every essential element for promoting fitness and for living the healthiest of lives.”

If it’s related to health, they’re planning on having it.

• Walking paths? Check.
• Bike paths? Check.
• Yoga? Check.
• Ditto for personal health counseling, community gardening, a health concierge, technology that supports healthy living, access to fresh and healthy food, water sports such as rowing and kayaking, etcetera.

And what a great location.  Situated on the former site of the Jacksonville Electric Authority Southside Generating Station, residents will have both water views and a view of the Jacksonville urban skyline.  Don’t tell me those views won’t also contribute to residents’ health and well-being.

Let’s assume the Jacksonville City Council and real estate developer Elements can come to final agreement on the details of the transaction and master plan.  (They are attempting to work through some recent snags in the process.) If so, this will be one of the largest mixed use developments in Jacksonville in recent years. The $400 – $500 million planned community will have:

• 1170 residential units (apartments and condos)
• 200 hotel rooms
• 288,500 square feet of retail and commercial space
• 200,000 square feet of office space
• a 125 slip marina
• a riverfront public park

Check it out at http://www.thedistrictjax.com.  Very enticing!

 

But if you take away all the bells and whistles, one of the core health concepts that The District Jacksonville employs is “unintentional exercise.”

And just what, you may ask, is unintentional exercise?

You probably know what it is, even if you’ve never uttered those words.  It’s those bits of exercise you do without thinking “I’m exercising for the sake of exercising;” when you’re not at the gym or on the running trail. For example:

• Walking down the hall at work to talk to a colleague instead of sending her an email. Even better if she’s up a flight of stairs.
• Or a walk to the corner to get your mail if you live in a neighborhood that uses cluster mailboxes instead of delivering to your front door.
• You don’t live in a flat or sprawling ranch house, but bound up the stairs several times a day in the course of life at home.
• You’re a pacer when you ponder instead of staring at your computer screen for your next great thought.
• The walk or bike ride to the neighborhood store is so safe and pleasant that… why would you bother taking the car?

I’m sure you can think of other examples in your own life. If not, look for them.  Because unintentional exercise can actually make a difference in the quality of your life and the state of your health. Without a gym membership attached.

As touted by The District Jacksonville marketing video:

[The District] will embrace a new design concept called unintentional exercise.  By its very design, people who live there will want to do things they usually avoid. Stairs will become a way of life, and the elevator, the exception rather than the rule. 

So, is unintentional exercise limited to new real estate developments with access to nearly a half billion dollars?

Nope.  Sometimes all it takes is a couple of light bulbs, a sign and a can of paint.

If you own or manage a building with an elevator, have a look around. I’m betting the elevator is pretty easy to find. And the stairwell? Probably, not so easy. Maybe nearly impossible without studying the emergency exit maps.

Without engaging in a major reconstruction project, what can you do to encourage stairs to “become a way of life, and the elevator, the exception rather than the rule?”  Here are three easy strategies:

1. Make the stairs as visible as the elevator.
2. Make the stairwell bright and safe.
3. Make the stairwell pleasant and inviting.

These are the same concepts that the Center for Active Design encourages in the Fitwel Certification system.  Fitwel cites a 2013 study in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health: “If buildings are constructed with centrally located, accessible and aesthetically pleasing staircases, a greater percentage of people will choose to take the stairs.”  D.R. Basset, et al.

Of the 55 strategies in the Fitwel scorecard, four that relate to stairs include:

• 5.2 Locate a stairwell in a visible area to promotes its use, helping to increase occupants’ physical activity.
• 5.3 Implement active design strategies in stairwell design: posting motivational signs, installing a music system or creative lighting, moderating stairwell temperature, featuring engaging artwork and bright colors, locating a window or skylight in the stairwell for increased daylight.
• 5.4 Place permanent point of decision signs promoting stair use at all elevator call areas.
• 5.5 Make the stairwell clearly visible with code-compliant glass.

Even if the existing stairwell is not centrally located, the other three strategies are still doable, relatively inexpensive, and pretty darn effective. Start by making it obvious where the stairs are.  And those “point of decision” signs? If I’m approaching the elevator and see a trigger that the stairs are right around the corner… sure, I might give it a go this time. After all, I’m only going one floor so why wait for the elevator? As long as I don’t fear for my life when using the stairs. Add a nice coat of paint – that’s always a bonus.  Do just those couple of things and you’ll go a long way toward achieving your own version of The District’s “unintentional exercise” on a fraction of the budget.

And, no, our goal here is not to guilt people into using the stairs, or become the “stair police.” We’re merely trying to make it an easy option by removing the barriers that currently exist. People can choose whatever way they want to get to the next floor. We just don’t want to discourage healthy living by making the stairs unnecessarily difficult to find, and, once you do find them, unpleasant to use.

So, maybe someday we’ll be neighbors living the good life in The District Jacksonville; but until then, let’s do what we can to convert every one of the buildings we use into healthy workplaces and residences.  Without breaking the budget.

 

If you’re not familiar with Fitwel, go to www.fitwel.org or this post for an overview and additional strategies around unintentional exercise.