Join a presentation of the 2007 AIA Housing Committee Awards. Panelists will also describe the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Healthy Places Goal Action Plan, focusing on housing and community design, from the micro to the macro level. The CDC hopes to open a dialogue with architects about what is already known about the health impacts of the built environment, efforts that are under way to develop a strategic plan, related research on up-to-date information on these issues, and efforts to determine the best way to create a link between researchers and practitioners of public health and architecture to mobilize the U.S. population to call for healthier homes.

   Learning objectives:

• Discuss how the 2007 AIA Housing Awards jury chose the winning projects based on their components of sustainability, design, and other factors
• Describe the roles and responsibilities of the public health sector and architects in improving the population’s health by improving the built environment
• Identify the knowledge gaps and related ongoing research linking improvements in the built environment with specific health outcomes and how to communicate it to clients and communities