During several conversations I’ve overheard recently, the terms “wellness” and “green” were being used interchangeably. Most notably was during our Steering Committee meeting yesterday. There were several phrases bandied about like “eco-friendly” and “environmentally responsible.” While most all of us desire to be good stewards of our environment and ultimately our biosphere, we have difficulty understanding what each other is talking about when we reference these initiatives. Of course, in the world of Architecture and construction we have the LEED standard to follow when talking about and quantifying anything “green.” Yet, when we begin to talk about the health and wellness of a neighborhood or a city, we stumble with the same language.
Now, I’m not advocating trying to quantify the notion of “wellness.” There are qualified people in the medical field that can speak to that. But what I am advocating is a separation of these two terms. ”Green” refers to anything that is ecologically friendly whether that is defined by the buildings we use or the cars we drive or the products we buy. ”Wellness,” on the other hand, should speak to the kind of lives we lead. I’m speaking very directly about the quality of air and water in our communities, the opportunities to exercise whether recreationally or competitively, the opportunities we have to walk or ride to work or school versus drive. It speaks to the availability to foods that are fresh and healthy, whether that is the whole foods section of your local corporate marketplace or your downtown, Saturday morning farmer’s market. If I may be bold, I would assert that “green” falls under the umbrella of “wellness,” and Wellness (with a capitol “W”) should be the focus of our attention rather than what rating we apply to new or repurposed homes and businesses, factories and warehouses.
Great Plains communities of the future, and the Newton’s in particular, are going to need to market themselves not only as “cool” cities, but as “Healthy” and “Well” communities. It may have been about commerce and production in the past twenty years, but in the next twenty it’s definitely about being healthy, whether Millennials or ‘Boomers. Our city government (notably the planning department) have been steadfastly planning and building the Newton’s Hike/Bike Path. It’s an organized and documented “Wellness” path that runs the entire length of our two communities. I think that path should become the impetus for all development in the city. I think that vital pieces of the community (athletic areas, recreation areas, business parks, neighborhoods, etc.) should connect to the path or allow the path to wonder through or be situated adjacent to the path. Each of these scenarios will increase the “Wellness Profile” of use and living thereby giving a “wellness index” to each. Now, as a new resident to the Newton’s, I can choose to purchase a house in Wellness Index Area _ , or I can build my new business in Wellness Index Area _ , or my child’s school is in Wellness Index Area _ . The Newton’s themselves should have a wellness index in the State of Kansas, as the Great Plains will inevitably have in the future.
Final thought? Each and every new growth opportunity, whether individual business or service or neighborhood scale, in these two cities should first ask the question: ”Where along the Wellness Trail should I plant my development?”
