News Releases

Congress for the New Urbanism and CDC Seek Ideas for "New Urbanism: Rx for Healthy Places" May 20-22, 2010, in Atlanta

Call for Ideas through August 14, 2009

ATLANTA, GA - Is New Urbanism the prescription for healthier communities? The opportunities and challenges of designing and developing communities that promote healthy lives will be explored at the Congress for the New Urbanism’s 18th annual Congress in Atlanta, May 20-22, 2010, organized with assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The call for session ideas is open until August 14, 2009, at http://www.cnu.org/CNU18Call.

Increasing scientific evidence suggests that community design elements – land use, design character, transportation systems, sustainability, and density – can have an impact on a community’s health, environment and quality of life. "New Urbanism: Rx for Healthy Places,” will present new research and techniques for incorporating health promotion into these design decisions at a variety of scales.

Health professionals, planners, developers, and policymakers at every level will gain valuable insight through inspiring speakers, relevant research, and exemplary projects and policies. Health concerns will be integrated into the various program tracks, including transportation, suburb retrofitting, green design, public spaces and quality of life issues. A New Urbanism and Healthy Places training session for local officials, the Next Generation of New Urbanists One-Day Congress, and partner events will precede the conference May 19-20. A video description of the 2010 Congress is available at http://www.cnu.org/ .

While seeking session ideas for "New Urbanism: Rx for Healthy Places,” the Congress for the New Urbanism is also calling for the submission of academic papers to be considered for presentation at the Atlanta event. Research on the relationship between the built environment and public and personal health are particularly welcome. More information can also be found at http://cnu.org/CNU18Call.

For more information on the Congress for the New Urbanism’s 2010 Congress in Atlanta, "New Urbanism: Rx for Healthy Places,” contact Steve Filmanowicz, Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), 312-551-7300 ext.12, Sfilmanowicz@cnu.org or Charles Green, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 770-488-0626, clg8@cdc.gov.

For more information on the CNU, go to http://www.cnu.org. For more information on CDC’s Healthy Community Design Initiative, go to www.cdc.gov/healthyplaces.