Dr. Henry Louis Taylor, Jr. presents this program on Health and the Built Environment: The Effects of Where We Live, Work and Play. The program was originally broadcast on February 25, 2005, as part of the 7th Annual William T. Small Keynote Lecture from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Public Health, Minority Health Project.

The conference, initiated by the UNC Minority Student Caucus in 1977, is the nation's oldest and largest student-run conference. The program was developed to highlight health issues of concern to people of color and to attract students interested in minority concerns to public health.

Dr. Taylor explores the role played by the built environment in causing health problems among inner city residents, with a particular emphasis on the African American community. Dr. Taylor also explores the health effects of where we live, work, and play, and the type of urban planning strategies and public policies needed to address the problem. He also discusses why the active living movement, the new urbanism and smart growth planning strategies will only minimally impact built environment conditions found in distressed inner city communities.

Program objectives include how to:

• Identify the significant differences that exist in dissimilar parts of the built environment.
• Identify the barriers to active living found in the inner city as opposed to suburbia.
• Understand the complexities and challenges of the inner city built environment issues.
• Identify the inner city conditions that present obstacles to wellness.
• Formulate strategies and policies to combat wellness barriers.