The ULI Building Healthy Places Initiative is leveraging the power of ULI’s global networks to shape projects and places in ways that improve the health of people and communities.

Health and Resilience Takes Center Stage in Asia

The Healthy City | Resilient City Forum, held in Beijing in mid-April, brought the topics of health and resilience in the Asia Pacific region to a group of leading experts in a wide range of industry sectors. Learn more.

In March, ULI Philippines kicked off its Healthy and Resilient Bonifacio Global City (BGC) project with a daylong festival featuring food, games, health promotion information, and disaster preparedness activities. The project is a two-year initiative intended to improve the health, well-being, and climate resilience of one of Metro Manila’s fastest-growing commercial and residential districts. ULI Philippines is working to incorporate recommendations from the Building Healthy Places Toolkit as the development of BGC progresses. Learn more.

ULI Announces Finalists for the 2015 Urban Open Space Award Competition

Accessible and well-designed public spaces not only enhance the economic and environmental aspects of communities, but they also have been shown to improve mental, physical, and social health. The six finalists for this year’s ULI Urban Open Space Award competition, which recognizes outstanding examples of small- and large-scale public spaces across the globe, all have had positive impacts on their respective cities. The winner will be announced at ULI’s Fall Meeting in San Francisco this October. Learn more.

Former ULI Chairman Plans Healthy Community in Jacksonville

Former ULI chairman and Building Healthy Places Initiative advisory group member Peter Rummell is planning to transform property along the St. John’s River near downtown Jacksonville, Florida, into a new community that embraces healthy living. Currently dubbed Healthy Town, this project will help energize the river and include integrated retail and a variety of housing types to attract a diverse group of residents. Learn more.

RWJF Program Offers New Funding Opportunity for Health Evidence

Evidence for Action, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) that focuses on developing a health evidence base that supports the foundation’s new Culture of Health vision, is awarding grants for innovative research on the impact of programs, policies, and partnerships on health and well-being. RWJF will hold an informational webinar July 22. Learn more. Register for webinar.

What’s New from Urban Land

A number of recent articles from  Urban Land magazine look at aspects of healthy communities.

• Shifting the Focus of Commercial Strips from Moving Cars to Connecting People – Archana Pyati
• Making the Economic Case for More Walkability – Mariela Alfonso
• Making Park Conservancies Work – Peter Slavin
• Streetcars and the American Commitment to Rail – Gabe Klein
• Transportation First, then Economic Development for Streetcars – Yonah Freemark
• Beneficiaries, Not Taxpayers, Should Fund Modern Streetcars – David Levinson