How Brownsville, Texas, Is Using Bikes to Address Social Problems | usa.streetsblog

Brownsville’s open streets event, “CycloBia,” has been a huge success. Photo: CycloBia Brownsville

This post is part of a series featuring stories and research that will be presented at the Pro-Walk/Pro-Bike/Pro-Place conference September 8-11 in Pittsburgh.

Brownsville, a Texas border town, is frequently cited as one of the poorest cities in the country. It also has one of the highest obesity rates.

But local officials have taken on some of the city’s health problems. And one of the key tools they’re using is cycling.

Planning Director Ramiro Gonzalez says it’s been about two years since the city of 180,000 people — 93 percent of them Latino — began its cycling push. City Commissioner Rose Gowen, a doctor, made health-based initiatives a key part of her agenda.

[Keep reading at usa.streetsblog]