Marya Morris, AICP, Research Department, American Planning Association, 122 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 1600, Chicago, IL 60603, 312-786-6375, mmorris@planning.org

The public health profession has recently turned its attention to the various effects the built environment has on people’s health. This new focus has exposed a pressing need for public health professionals to collaborate with urban and regional planners as a means of intervening in the community planning process in ways that can potentially improve health outcomes. There are several aspects of planning and public health where examples of collaborative efforts are already underway. This includes, the relationship between planning and community design and people’s ability to be physically active in their daily routine and as a result reduce their incidence of obesity and overweight; the relationship between housing shortages and substandard housing conditions that disproportionately affect the health of minority and low-income populations; the impact of planning-related decisions, such as zoning and subdivision regulations and transportation planning, and their effects on neighborhood quality of life. This session will describe the overall national movement to promote better planning and design as a means of improving health, will highlight examples communities across the country where there have been successes in collaboration, and will garner feedback from session participants on opportunities and barriers to implementation of these emerging ideas.

Learning Objectives:

• The impact of land use planning and community design on personal and community health status.
• The tools, resources, and research available to planners for collaborating with local public health departments and the benefits of multidisciplinary collaboration.
• How communities across the country have succeeded in getting the public and local leaders to embrace planning and design as a means of promoting and improving health.

Keywords: Obesity, Physical Activity

Related Web page: www.planning.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: National Association of County and City Health Officials CDC National Center for Environmental Health
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Subcontractor to NACCHO on a Cooperative Agreement with CDC National Center for Environmental Health