Established in 2001, Safe & Healthy Communities Consulting was one of the first private firms to help public health, planning, and transportation agencies integrate health into local land use and transportation planning. Since then, we’ve worked in more than five states, with leading national organizations from planning and health, and with hundreds of community design and public health professionals. We’ve helped them increase awareness and support, develop strategic and collaborative planning and policy approaches, and build organizational capacity to advance healthy built environments.

Tina Zenzola, MPH, Owner and Director
For over twelve years, Tina Zenzola has worked at the nexus of health and the built environment. She founded and directs Safe & Healthy Communities Consulting, one of the first private firms to help public health and local governments promote healthy built environments and policies. Working at the local, state, and national level, Tina has been instrumental in building organizational capacity and framing the strategies for integrating health into land use and transportation planning. Leading national organizations, including the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), American Planning Association, and Safe States Alliance, have used her expertise to help redefine the role of health in planning and to promote collaborative approaches between public health and community design. Tina developed some of the first white papers, national reports, and technical tools that identified the strategies and helped guide professionals in the field. And, she has trained over 400 public health, planning, and transportation professionals from across the country on safe, healthy built environments, and planning.

Cities and regional planning agencies have also sought Tina’s assistance. She helped develop health-related goals, policies, and programs for the City of San Diego’s General Plan and Pedestrian Master Plan, the San Diego Association of Government’s (SANDAG) Regional Transportation Plan and Walkable Communities Advisory Committee, and the City of Chula Vista’s Safe Routes to School efforts, among others. Because of her unique experience in health and planning, Tina was a featured speaker in a national video on Smart Growth, livability and health produced by the Pennsylvania State University Cooperative Extension, and has presented and led trainings at numerous Smart Growth and livable communities conferences including, New Partners for Smart Growth (2001-2007), League of California Cities (2004 & 2007), Rail~Volution (2001), American Planning Association - California Chapter (2006), California Walk and Roll Conference (2005 & 2007), and national webcasts of the American Planning Association. Tina was a member of the WalkSanDiego Board of Directors for eight years and served as their first Executive Director. She holds a Master of Public Health degree from the UCLA School of Public Health and a Bachelor of Arts in molecular/cellular biology from Humboldt State University.

As needed for specific projects, Safe & Healthy Communities Consulting collaborates and brings in partners with other areas of expertise and technical knowledge.

We are located in the walkable and historic community of Kensington, in the City of San Diego, California.