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Paul Farmer, AICP, American Planning Association, 122 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 1600, Chicago, IL 60603, 312-431-9100, pfarmer@planning.org
The recent surge of media attention, academic research, and local government practice on that explores the connection between community design and planning, physical activity, and health may detract from the fact that the planning profession and the public health profession have, in fact, a long, shared history. A fundamental purpose of early master plans and park plans by Daniel Burnham, Frederick Law Olmsted, and others was to provide open space, fresh air, and natural light to urban dwellers to improve their mental and physical health. The first zoning ordinances enacted early in the 20th Century aimed to prevent overcrowding and stem the spread of contagious disease in urban areas. Today, both professions recognize that more than 60 years of rapid growth and sprawl has contributed to negative health outcomes, such as soaring rates of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Armed with new information, planners have renewed their focus on health by analyzing how comprehensive plans and land development controls can be rethought and revised in ways that support healthy lifestyles.
The American Planning Association has been working since 2000 with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Centers for Disease Control, and the National Association of County and City Health Officials on several research and technical assistance projects that are focused on the impacts of planning, land use, and patterns of development on the health and fitness of residents. In this special session, APA Executive Director Paul Farmer, AICP, will describe the findings of several of these projects and will offer recommendations and examples of how planners and local public health professionals can collaborate to meet the shared objective of creating healthy, livable communities.
Learning Objectives:
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.