|
|
|
Lawrence D. Frank, an expert on urban design and health, is coming home to Rochester next week to talk about “The Unhealthy Consequences of Sprawl.”
He developed his interest in the subject while growing up in Brighton and Rochester, graduating in 1979 from Brighton High School. The son of Irwin and Marilyn Frank, who now live in Pittsford, he is bombardier chairholder in sustainable transportation at the University of British Columbia. He also is owner of a Seattle-based consulting firm, Urban Design 4 Health.
What is sprawl?
“Sprawl is a car-dependent environment where densities are low and shops and services are too far to walk. A lot of the work that I’m doing is looking for the win-win between climate change and environment and health impacts of neighborhood design. We’re looking for the kind of strategies that cities like Rochester can engage in to promote a healthier environment and healthier people.”
What is urban design?
“Ideally, urban design is the practice of creating communities. It’s the practice of making transportation and land-use decisions that collectively result in inviting places to live, work and play. I grew up near the intersection of Clover and Highland Avenue and learned early on the importance of having a walkable neighborhood with sidewalks and healthy places to hang out and play — lots of parks and green spaces.”
How do these relate to Rochester?
“Rochester has a lot of communities that were built prior to about 1950. Most of those communities have sidewalks. People can walk to shops and services. They’re not dependent on cars for travel. I think Rochester has a very high standard in quality of life and provides it to its citizens.”
What are you going to talk about?
“I’ll start off with some historical background on Rochester’s development and what I think makes it a wonderful place to grow up. I’m going to talk from the positive perspective that I think Rochester has a lot of potential. Then I’m going to talk about the evidence — what we know about designing neighborhoods and health; what we know about what we know and what we can do about it.”
More about Larry
He led an original 2004 study showing that driving is a predictor of obesity, which was written up in Time magazine and more than 300 newspapers. Several studies since have reaffirmed how the design of neighborhoods impacts health. Frank gives talks around the world about the relationships between the designs of neighborhoods and health.
Lawrence D. Frank, an expert on urban design and health, is coming home to Rochester next week to talk about “The Unhealthy Consequences of Sprawl.”
He developed his interest in the subject while growing up in Brighton and Rochester, graduating in 1979 from Brighton High School. The son of Irwin and Marilyn Frank, who now live in Pittsford, he is bombardier chairholder in sustainable transportation at the University of British Columbia. He also is owner of a Seattle-based consulting firm, Urban Design 4 Health.
What is sprawl?
“Sprawl is a car-dependent environment where densities are low and shops and services are too far to walk. A lot of the work that I’m doing is looking for the win-win between climate change and environment and health impacts of neighborhood design. We’re looking for the kind of strategies that cities like Rochester can engage in to promote a healthier environment and healthier people.”
What is urban design?
“Ideally, urban design is the practice of creating communities. It’s the practice of making transportation and land-use decisions that collectively result in inviting places to live, work and play. I grew up near the intersection of Clover and Highland Avenue and learned early on the importance of having a walkable neighborhood with sidewalks and healthy places to hang out and play — lots of parks and green spaces.”
How do these relate to Rochester?
“Rochester has a lot of communities that were built prior to about 1950. Most of those communities have sidewalks. People can walk to shops and services. They’re not dependent on cars for travel. I think Rochester has a very high standard in quality of life and provides it to its citizens.”
What are you going to talk about?
“I’ll start off with some historical background on Rochester’s development and what I think makes it a wonderful place to grow up. I’m going to talk from the positive perspective that I think Rochester has a lot of potential. Then I’m going to talk about the evidence — what we know about designing neighborhoods and health; what we know about what we know and what we can do about it.”
More about Larry
He led an original 2004 study showing that driving is a predictor of obesity, which was written up in Time magazine and more than 300 newspapers. Several studies since have reaffirmed how the design of neighborhoods impacts health. Frank gives talks around the world about the relationships between the designs of neighborhoods and health.
