June 19 – Michigan Chapter – An Urgent Call for Healthy Communities

“Healthy” community design is often spoken about in planning and transportation circles. But do you know what it means, and are you really working to make it a reality? This thought-provoking presentation will address the urgency and the great opportunity of this idea. The urgency is due to the disastrous health impacts and costs associated with an almost total elimination of walking, cycling, and transit as routine transportation modes. Americans are less active than ever, and we’re all paying the price. But there is an opportunity: the health community can be valuable partners in advocating for, planning, development, and policy changes to support active transportation plans and designs. This session will share practical examples of interdisciplinary collaboration and attainable first steps in crewing healthier communities.