Planners4Health California is pleased to present it first Mini-Conference during the APA California Annual Conference.  This event is open to all.  Non-APA members can participate by registering at the discounted rate of only $20. 

​This event is already included in the program for APA California Annual Conference's attendees.

Register today here!

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PROGRAM

Opening Plenary: Trauma-Informed Planning and Design                        11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

The Planners4Health Mini-Conference: CommUNITY Health Matters will kick-off with a morning plenary session led by the dynamic speaker and public health leader Manal Aboelata. Manal has over two decades of experience in public health research and practice, especially on the impacts that the built environment has on human health, and she has contributed deeply to health equity and social justice movements in Los Angeles and beyond. This plenary session will be an opportunity for planners in California to gain a high-level understanding of the importance of trauma-informed practices in planning and design in order to promote healing, safety, and well-being.

Manal Aboelata - Keynote Speaker
Deputy Executive Director
Prevention Institute

Los Angeles County Green Zones Program: Environmental Justice and Healthier Communities                                                                                                              1:00 PM-2:30 PM

Green Zones Program: Proposed amendments to the Los Angeles County Code and the General Plan to improve the public health and quality of life of residents in vulnerable communities in the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County that have been disproportionately and historically impacted by various sources of pollution.

Soyeon Choi - Speaker
Senior Regional Planner
Los Angeles County

Andrew Flores - Speaker
Regional Planner
Los Angeles County Planning

Erica G. Aguirre, AICP - Speaker
Principal Planner
Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning

Tahirah Farris, AICP - Speaker
Senior Regional Planner
Los Angeles County

Planners4Health in Action: Reaffirming our role in the commUNITY           1:00 PM-2:30 PM

The roots of today’s planning profession and practice are traced back to addressing public health needs. During this session, participants will hear from planning practitioners from the private, public and non-profit sectors effective strategies to embed public health policy and interventions into traditional planning practices.

Miguel Vazquez, AICP - Host
Health Equity Urban and Regional Planner
Riverside University Health System

Donna Kenney - Speaker
Planning and Building Manager
City of Riverbank

Matthew Raimi, AICP - Speaker
Principal
Raimi + Associates

Amber Wier - Speaker
Project Director
California Health Collaborative

Elizabeth Tyler, FAICP - Speaker
Community Development Director
City of San Pablo

Katie Moose - Speaker
Project Director
California Health Collaborative

Class is in Session: A 101 Introductory Workshop to SB 1000                          1:00 PM-2:30 PM

Interested in learning how to put together an environmental justice element? Through hands-on activities, come learn how to identify disadvantaged communities in your jurisdiction and the other required steps to implementing California’s Senate Bill 1000. Don't forget to bring your laptops, as we will be working hands-on with data!

Juan Reynoso - Speaker
Senior Planner
Raimi + Associates

Wenhao Wu - Speaker
LEED GA
Geographic Information System Specialist
Raimi + Associates

Gabriela Zayas del Rio - Moderator
Intermediate Planner/Designer
Raimi + Associates

An Equity and Parks Success Story:
Park Renewal and Reinvestment in Fresno                                                       2:45 PM-3:45 PM

Fresno has become an unexpected model for equitably funding parks, arts and culture, and youth programs. In 2019 residents passed the landmark initiative Measure P to fund park capital improvements, ongoing maintenance, and programs. It earmarks dollars to “highest need communities” based on fixed criteria. This data driven approach ensures the will of the voters is implemented as an annual average of 36 million new dollars is directed toward restoring dilapidated parks and preparing for a new climate future. Join us to meet the champions of the initiative who advocate for underserved and underrepresented communities, and the planners who develop the park policy framework and assist the City and Oversight Commission to implement Measure P.

John Gibbs, ASLA, LEED AP - Speaker
Principal
WRT

Peter Winch, AICP - Moderator
Senior Planner
WRT

Sandra Celedon - Speaker
President & CEO
Fresno Building Healthy Communities

Linda Hwang - Speaker
Senior Director, Strategy and Innovation
Trust for Public Land

Community Health Matters                                                                                   2:45 PM-3:45 PM

This session will provide an opportunity for planners, public health professionals, students, and others interested in creating stronger, healthier and more equitable communities to have a deeper learning experience around planning and health and to build connections with one another. The Planners4Health Steering Committee will lead an interactive conversation on the current status of health equity in planning, the importance of leadership development, and the need to envision the future of the field.

Miguel Vazquez, AICP - Speaker
Health Equity Urban and Regional Planner
Riverside University Health System

Michelle Lieberman, AICP - Speaker
Consulting and Program Support Director
Safe Routes Partnership

Juan Reynoso - Speaker
Senior Planner
Raimi + Associates

Diana Benitez - Speaker
Planning and Research Manager
Just Cities LLC

Andrew Flores - Speaker
Regional Planner
Los Angeles County Planning

Environmental Justice Planning, Policy,
​and Organizing in California                                                                                  2:45 PM-3:45 PM

Urban planning has not always had an easy relationship with environmental justice. A history of poor planning decisions and discrimination, for example, have led to disproportionate environmental harm in low-income communities and communities of color. Since the 1980s, activists in California have pushed for regulatory support for changes to how we plan communities. Nevertheless, much more information and discussions are needed for planners to better understand environmental justice as it relates to community engagement and land-use policy. The presentations in this session will shed light on the challenges planners face in relation to environmental justice policy, community engagement, and carrying out nascent policies such as SB 1000.

Connie Valencia - Speaker
PhD Student
University of California, Irvine

Michelle Zuniga, PhD - Moderator
University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Nataly Escobedo Garcia - Speaker
PhD Student
University of California, Irvine

Omar Perez-Figueroa - Speaker