On the Pulse of Planning for Healthy and Equitable Communities

Grab your data, put on your Fitbit, warm up your stethoscope, and join our coalition of community planners, designers, and public health professionals to discuss how to keep our communities vital and fit now and into the future!
Planners and public health officials and practitioners have long understood that community design impacts the health of community members. As the importance of environmental health and equity is increasingly recognized, there are new opportunities for planners, public health professionals, government, and community stakeholders to collaborate on advocating for and creating healthier places while advancing the shared goals of livable, inclusive communities; increased mobility and access to resources; economic vitality and opportunity; and reduced pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. The SacValley APA 2016 Speaker Series will utilize all six sessions to examine how planning and public health can integrate resources and actions to diagnosis, treat, prevent, benchmark, and celebrate the success of communities as they strive to improve the health of their residents, as well as that of their infrastructure and economy. Let us help cure what ails you; register now!

Click here to download the program flyer.  The flyer contains descriptions of each session.

September 30, 2016
Public Interest Design for Disadvantaged Communities: How Engagement & Design Lead to Healthy Places

Presenters:  Sergio Palleroni, Center for Public Interest Design, Portland State University; John Ellis, Cosumnes River College; and Kris Barkley, Dreyfuss and Blackford Architects

This session focused on how to engage disadvantaged communities in the design process for facilities and places that will serve their needs. Two case studies will be examined in South Sacramento and Del Paso Heights. The session will discuss how data was collected directly from the areas residents and how they had the opportunity to inuence the design outcomes. In addition, the project designers will discuss some of the unique challenges addressed in each area.

Click here for Sergio Palleroni's presentation
Click here for John Ellis's presentation
Click here for Kris Barkley's presentation

August 26, 2016
Measuring Health and Sustainability Outcomes in Funding Decisions

Presenters:  Renee DeVere Oki, Allison Joe, Neil Peacock, and Christine Tien

This session discussed how public funding programs are basing investment decisions on measurable outcomes related to sustainability and public health. This panel of speakers represents three of the largest funders for land use and transportation sustainability projects in the greater Sacramento area: SACOG, SGC, and the Caltrans. They will discuss current tools and techniques for prioritizing proposed investments and measuring the success of their funding programs, as well as what technical capacity-building eorts are underway to strengthen the ability of local governments and community organizations to utilize these investment resources.

Click here to download Renee DeVere Oki's presentation
Click here to download Allison Joe's presentation
Click here to download Neil Peacock's presentation
Click here to download Christine Tien's presentation

July 29, 2016
Preventable Planning: Day-to-Day Steps to Fit Communities

Presenters: Beth Altshuler, MCP, MPH, CPH, Raimi Associates; Candace Rutt, WalkSacramento; David Miller, AICP, City of Folsom; Judy Robinson, County of Sacramento
Moderator:  Elizabeth Boyd, AICP, Ascent Environmental

From General Plan policies to on-the- ground development projects, how can health be integrated into planning and design practices to support the daily pursuit of
healthy choices and lifestyles? This session will explore leading edge tools to promote physical activity and access to healthy foods. We’ll first focus on General Plan policy, with information from the Governor’s Offce of Planning and Research’s General Plan Guidelines update effort and examples on how the General Plan can set the stage. We’ll then explore how Health Impact Assessments can inform development project decisions and be used to effectively engage community members and leaders. Lastly, we’ll examine how careful review of Zoning Codes, Design Guidelines, Specific Plans, and Conditions of Approval can guide projects by addressing both physical activity and food access to bring healthy living within reach of all people.

Click here to download Beth Altshuler's presentation
Click here to download Candace Rutt's presentation
Click here to download David Miller's presentation
Click here to download Judy Robinson's presentation

June 24, 2016
Road to Recovery: How to Overcome the Diagnosis

This session examined why some communities are healthier than others and the role that planning processes have played in creating these health disparities. How
do we change these systems to increase not only health equity, but also support healthier communities for everyone? Speakers will discuss three current strategies for
shifting planning policy and practices to increasingly integrate health outcomes, including community engagement, engaging the next generation, and state and
local policy change.

Click here to download Katie Valenzuela Garcia's presentation.
Click here to download Laticia Corona's presentation.
Click here to download Sergio Cuellar's presentation.
Click here to download Tim Snelling's presentation.

May 13, 2016
Taking the Temperature for Community Health and Well-Being

Presenters: Dan Woo, California Department of Public Health; Jonathan London, UC Davis; Brian Cole, UCLA; Ken Blankinship / Clint Kellar, ESRI

What are the connections between the public health and planning professions? What instruments are available to check a community’s “vital signs?” Public health and planning have shared a long and intertwined history, and despite each broadening their practice to different areas of expertise, there has been an increased “re-convergence” between the two, particularly surrounding health, the built environment, and climate change. Join us for this session to understand the connections between public health, planning, and the environment, with specific focus on climate change and health impacts; learn what the social determinants of health are and how to measure them; and acquire the access to the toolkit of data related to public health, for example GIS mapping, indicator projects, and other innovative tools to take a community’s “temperature.”

Click here to download presenter bios
Click here to download Dan Woo's presentation
Click here to download Jonathan London's presentation
Click here to download Brian Cole's presentation
Click here to download Ken Blankinship, Clint Kellar presentation