Medscape presents a conference report on how planners and medical practitioners work together to improve public health through community design.
"What event could bring together physicians, urban planners, dietitians, meteorologists, architects, social activists, policy planners, and politicians? The answer is a conference, "Obesity and the Built Environment," which was organized by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate how our built environment promotes a sedentary lifestyle and obesity...
Dr. Drewnowski presented an analysis of the availability of fast food and fresh food in Seattle, Washington, by neighborhood income level, which revealed that lower-income areas have disproportionately high numbers of fast food outlets and disproportionately low numbers of grocery stores selling fresh foods.
...Lawrence D. Frank, PhD,[7] University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, presented data from the first study to assess the effect that the urban form has on travel patterns, body mass index, and obesity status. Objective measures of land use mix, residential density, and street connectivity were developed to characterize a 1-kilometer "network distance" surrounding study participants' homes."
Thanks to Congress on New Urbanism
FULL STORY: Highlights of Obesity and the Built Environment: Improving Public Health Through Community Design
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.