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Healthy Planning

Land use, economic development, and redevelopment policies offer a valuable set of tools to promote and enhance healthy communities. Local governments, private developers, and community groups can all work to create patterns of development that improve community health–by ensuring that farmers' markets and neighborhood grocery stores are supported, for instance, or by promoting sidewalks, parks and other environmental components that encourage physical activity.

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Program News

Local Food and the Law: Help for Advocates and Policymakers

Aug 25, 2010

Concerns about buying food from afar are prompting some states and cities to consider laws promoting the purchase of locally grown food. An article coauthored by PHLP staff, published in the inaugural issue of the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development (JAFSCD): Laws to Require Purchase of Locally Grown Food and Constitutional Limits on State and Local Government: Suggestions for Policymakers and Advocates, offers guidelines for drafting policies that favor locally grown food without violating constitutional restrictions on state and local laws that discriminate against products derived out-of-state. The inaugural issue of JAFSCD is FREE to non-subscribers through October 1.

Upcoming Webinar: Policy Approaches to Healthy Corner Stores

Aug 24, 2010

Planning for Healthy Places and the Healthy Corner Stores Network invite you to join the upcoming webinar: Policy Approaches to Healthy Corner Stores - which will be held Tuesday, September 14, 2010, from 12:30pm – 2:00pm, Pacific Time/3:30-5:00pm Eastern.  Register Here

Corner store advocates around the country are exploring how policy approaches could incentivize and sustain healthy changes in small stores.

Bringing Public Health into Comprehensive Plans: PHLP Presents at National Training

Jul 22, 2010

PHLP’s Heather Wooten headed to Washington, D.C., in June to present at an American Planning Association (APA) Planners Training Service workshop. This was the first time the APA has offered a course on how to integrate public health concerns such as food, physical activity, and air and water quality into comprehensive plans.  Heather co-taught a short course that emphasized the role of planners in supporting public health goals and building healthy communities.

More Healthy Planning News

Healthy streetscape

Upcoming Events

September 13-15: Using Law, Policy, and Research to Improve the Public’s Health (Atlanta) The goals of this national conference, funded in part by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, are to (1) examine the role of law and policy in promoting, protecting, and improving global and domestic public health; and (2) help build effective partnerships to accomplish public health law and policy objectives.

September 21 11:00-12:00pm PST: The Art and Science of Evaluation: Sound Methods for Assessing Policy and Environmental Change. (Webinar) How do we know if our change strategies are working? Evaluation is a critical component of any effort that seeks long-term sustainable change. In this webinar, panelists will discuss key questions for measuring success in community environments.

October 16-19: Community Food Security Coalition Annual Conference (New Orleans). Session topics will include rebuilding local food economies, ending poverty and increasing food access, outcomes of the US Social Forum, environmental justice, public health links, food policy councils, urban agriculture, and more.

October 17-21: Making Cities Livable (Charleston, SC) hosts this conference on “True Urbanism: Planning Healthy and Child-Friendly Communities,” presenting evidence of health effects of the built environment, planning strategies, best practices, and experience in achieving healthy, livable, and sustainable cities.

November 6-10: American Public Health Association Annual Conference (Denver). Attendees will learn from experts in the field, hear about cutting-edge research, discover the latest public health products and services, and share their public health experience with their peers.

November 17-19: Greenbuild 2010 (Chicago). Thousands of building professionals from all over the world come together at Greenbuild for three days of educational sessions, speakers, green building tours, and networking events.

November 30: WIC Food Package Evaluation Symposium (Washington, DC). Save the date: Join us for a one-day gathering of researchers, policymakers, and program administrators to discuss WIC Food Package research, evaluations, and findings.

Feb. 3-5: 10th Annual New Partners for Smart Growth Conference (Charlotte, NC). The program will include new research, implementation tools and techniques, best practices, model projects, policies and codes, coordinated networking activities, and interactive learning experiences.

April 3-5, 2011: Brownfields Conference (Philadelphia) is a national conference focused on environmental revitalization and economic redevelopment.