Could getting physicians to advocate for walkable cities get people to listen to the advice of planners?
James Rojas, a transportation planner in Los Angeles and founder of the Latino Urban Forum, offers remarks as a follow up to the recent Built Environment and Health conference.
"The urban planning profession is an outgrowth of the 19th century city reform movement to solve the urban ills experienced by the phenomenal growth of cities like New York, London and Paris. The creation of sanitation systems, zoning and Central Park as part of the early parks movement were considered health remedies for urban inhabitants. Somewhere along the line planning and health parted ways."
"Today our urban form and health problems are much more expensive, complicated and critical to solve than they were in the 19th century. We are faced with the obesity epidemic, failing health system and global warming partly due to bad urban form. Unlike the urban ills of the 19th century which were solved by building infrastructure and creating zoning codes, today's problem focus on changing people behavior patterns. Planners and doctors must realign themselves in order to build sustainable cities and address our health problems."
FULL STORY: The Built Environment and Health Conference Comments

Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.

National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.

Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.

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Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.

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