City Forum
City Forum is a planning and urban issues speaker series hosted by the Community and Regional Planning Student Organization (CRPSO) and the Community and Regional Planning Program (CRP) at the University of Texas at Austin. The bi-weekly speakers series is intended to broaden the curriculum in the CRP program by presenting the experiences, perspectives, and insights of scholars, community leaders, practicing planners, and policy makers who engage in timely issues.
Topics of discussion are relevant, contemporary issues ranging from the local and regional to international. City Forum provides a space for open, critical dialogue among faculty members, students, community members, planning practitioners, and policy-makers regarding crucial planning-related issues in Austin and elsewhere. The speaker series is intended to encourage discussion of diversity, multiple publics, and social change.
For questions, comments, or suggestions related to City Forum, contact Katie Howell or Dr. Bjørn Sletto.
Upcoming Speakers
All events are held on Fridays from noon to 1:30. City Forum events are free and open to students and professionals interested in planning. First-come, first-served refreshments provided.
02.12.2010
The Active City: Planning for Public Health
The past decade has seen a dramatic rise in the levels of obesity, heart disease and cancer in children and adults because of decreased physical activity. These problems are exacerbated by limited access to parks and safe sidewalks and a lack of public safety in many communities. Cities now look to planners to assist in addressing this public health challenge. In this city forum, planners and public health professionals from The University of Texas, the City of Austin and the Austin community will discuss how planning interventions can improve public health in cities.
Panelists
Harold W. Kohl
Harold Kohl is professor of Epidemiology and Kinesiology at The University of Texas Health Science Center – Houston; the School of Public Health, Austin Regional Campus; and the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education at The University of Texas Austin. He is also the founder and Director of The University of Texas Physical Activity Epidemiology Program. He received his Master of Science in Public Health from the University of South Carolina School of Public Health, and his PhD from the School of Public Health in Community Health Studies at the University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston. Dr. Kohl examines ways to encourage physical activity in children and how physical environments influence the level of physical activity. He came to the university from the Centers of Disease Control, where he was team leader in the physical activity and health branch of the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity. In 2006, he worked with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to create the first national physical activity guidelines.
Carol Haywood
Carol Haywood is the manager of Neighborhood Planning in the Planning and Development Review Department, City of Austin. She is currently overseeing four neighborhood planning teams and several implementation planners, and is working on the new comprehensive plan for the City of Austin. Haywood is interested in all aspects of neighborhood planning, but especially sustainability, transit oriented development, and healthy community design. She was worked as a registered nurse and is particularly concerned about how the design of communities affects the health of residents. Haywood has a masters’ degree in Architecture from the University of Texas at Austin and has previously served as a senior neighborhood planner for the city of San Antonio.
Ann Kitchen
Ann Kitchen is an attorney and former healthcare consultant, state agency official and social worker with expertise in Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, and other state and local programs for uninsured and underinsured individuals. As a State Representative in the Texas House of Representatives, she successfully passed groundbreaking legislation related to public education, healthcare, violence against women, and the environment. Kitchen also served on the boards of numerous community organizations such as the Austin Rape Crisis Center and People's Community Clinic. She has also served as Executive Director of the Indigent Care Collaboration (ICC), a regional collaboration of public and private hospitals, clinics, MHMR, public health departments, university medical departments, and medical society responsible for providing care for uninsured individuals. The ICC is a nationally recognized leader in proactive coordination of community healthcare for the underserved.
First-come, first-served light lunch will be provided.
City Forum is an urban issues speaker series hosted by the Community and Regional Planning Student Organization and the School of Architecture's Community and Regional Planning Program.
City Forum is made possible by a grant from the Hogg Foundation.
Time: Noon to 1:30
Location: Texas Union, Sinclair Suite (UNB 3.128) [MAP]
Past Speakers
An archive of past speakers is available and includes video-taped footage of many past events.
