\nHealth professionals tell us it&rsquo\;s clear that Americans must be more physically active\, but it&rsquo\;s also very clear that simply telling people to exercise is not working. Health promoters increasingly reach out to planners\, engineers\, and economic development officials and chambers of commerce as allies in the effort to create &ldquo\;healthier&rdquo\; communities by design. In this thought-provoking and entertaining discussion Mark Fenton will explore how contemporary planning and design actually impacts public health. And he&rsquo\;ll share intriguing evidence that the best practical approaches actually boost economic vibrancy &ndash\; not just through physical activity and reduced health care costs\, but much more systemic benefits such as enhanced quality of life\; increased economic access\, activity\, and &ldquo\;critical mass\;&rdquo\; business and employee recruitment and retention\; and reduced transportation congestion and costs. And he&rsquo\;ll share a handful of practical lessons from over two decades of simply trying to get people to walk and bicycle more! \;\n
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
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Mark Fenton is a nationally recognized public health\, planning\, and transportation consultant\, adjunct associate professor at Tufts University\, advocate for active transportation\, and former host of &ldquo\;America&rsquo\;s Walking&rdquo\; on PBS television. He&rsquo\;s consulted with the University of North Carolina&rsquo\;s National Center for Safe Routes to School and Pedestrian &\; Bicycle Information Center\, and has led training and planning processes for pedestrian-\, bicycle-\, and transit-friendly designs in communities across the US\, Canada\, and Australia. In the US much of this work is as a technical assistance provider to communities funded through Centers for Disease Control healthy community grant programs. He studied engineering and biomechanics at the Massachusetts Institute Technology (BS &\; MS) and US Olympic Training Center\, was manager of the Human Performance Laboratory at Reebok\, and has published numerous articles and books related to exercise science\, physical activity promotion\, and community interventions. He also tries to practice what he preaches\, having served on his community&rsquo\;s planning board\, and walking and cycling for as many routine trips as possible. Visit \;
www.markfenton.com.
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