Harvard Gazette: Healthy by design

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October 23, 2003

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HARVARD GAZETTE ARCHIVES

Healthy by design

Conference will examine health and the urban environment

"Promoting Physical Activity and Health by Urban Design" - a conference sponsored by the School of Public Health (SPH) and the Design School - will be held Nov. 4 at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, 600 Atlantic Ave. (across from South Station). With obesity emerging as a serious public health problem in America, the conference will focus on how infrastructure can be changed to bring physical activity opportunities close to where people live and incorporate exercise as a routine part of the day.

Walter Willett, the Fredrick Stare Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition in the Faculty of Public Health, will open the conference and introduce the health issues and research needs. Ichiro Kawachi and Steven Gortmaker, both professors in the Department of Society, Human Development and Health, will also make presentations, along with SPH Visiting Scientist Anne Lusk.

Speakers from the Design School, Emory University, the Charles River Conservancy, the Boston Architectural Center, and elsewhere will join the discussion. Topics will include safe routes to school, urban and suburban issues, senior issues, campus travel, and Boston-area greenways.

Registration is required. Visit the Web site at http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/healthdesign to register or for more information.