This year”s “Healthy Cities and Smart Growth: Planning for Healthier Communities,” conference put on by California Healthy Cities and Communities will be held April 21-22 in Berkeley. It looks like a really good program that should be useful for Richmond staff, Council members and community activists concerned with the nexus between public health and city planning. Details are available at http://www.civicpartnerships.org/default.asp?id=315.

The keynote speaker will be Richard J. Jackson, MD, MPH, State Public Health Officer, California Department of Health Services, whom I have recently heard at the Building Livable, Walkable Communities: 14th Annual Yosemite Conference. His presentation, alone, is worth the trip. Dr. Jackson is a recognized leader in public health, and is co-author of Urban Sprawl and Public Health: Designing, Planning, and Building for Healthy Communities. His presentations offer examples of improving health and well-being through alternative approaches to design, land use, and transportation.