FLORIDA PLANNING A Publication of the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association
Summer 2012
www.floridaplanning.org
Connecting Health and the Built Environment in Florida’s Gold Coast By: Karen Hamilton, Melissa Hege, AICP, and Silvia Vargas, AICP
Planning was initially about people and their social conditions: it grew out of a public health interest in improving the living and general social conditions of immigrants and the poor. The environmental determinism approach soon evolved into Euclidean Zoning… and we all know the rest.
As planners, we have a unique opportunity to evaluate and influence the policies and practices that shape the built environment. The planning profession is progressively going back to its social and public health roots, as increasing health disparities have prompted the examination of socio-economic factors such as race, income, and location, and the impact these issues have on housing, education, transportation choices, environmental conditions or the ability to easily access to recreation opportunities and healthy foods that allow us to live healthier lives. There is a greater understanding and acknowledgment of how the places that we plan and build affect their occupants – for better or for worse. Planning has real, tangible, quantifiable social costs. Too often, those costs have had unintended deleterious results on our communities.
Gold Coast Section This year, the Gold Coast Section of the APA Florida has chosen to focus its professional development program on issues and activities that explore the connections between health and the built environment and highlight planning efforts which address these complex issues. The Gold Coast Section challenges the planning community it serves to incorporate these experiences into their professional work to positively affect the relationship between planning and the health of their communities. continued on page 4
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
5
2012 Annual Business Meeting
OTHER Features
6
Climate Action Planning is Good Planning
10 12 14 APA FL 2012 Elections: VOTE NOW
Achieving Public-Private Partnerships
Leaving a Legacy
President’s Message - p.3 FL Sector Plans - p. 8 Planners in the News - p. 17 Honored in LA - p. 17 Law Case Update - p. 18 Consultants Directory - p. 19 Events - back page
The Florida Chapter of APA provides statewide leadership in the development of sustainable communities by advocating excellence in planning, providing professional development for its members, and working to protect and enhance the natural and built environments.