Plan4HealthyFlorida – In early 2017, the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA FL) began a process of creating a project that would bring public health professionals and land use planners together. This project was the result of a grant received from the American Planning Association called Planners4Health. A small task force was assembled and consisted of professionals with backgrounds in public health, transportation, land use planning, elderly issues, food systems, and environmental issues. This group used grant funds to hire a facilitator to assist in the identification of a project that would not only be sustainable, but far-reaching and easily disseminated.

Within the first day’s exercise, the group elected to work towards the creation of a web-based platform to assist professionals from each sector to cross-collaborate and foster interaction with each other. Recognizing that Florida is a large state, the ease of being able to interact via a desktop site was made the priority. Throughout the year in development of this site, the task force also polled planners and public health officials to understand the knowledge base of the other profession, worked with a larger committee of individuals from the health and planning sectors, and began to build the website. This site is the result of those efforts.

Partners are: APA Florida, APA national, Florida Public Health Association, American Public Health Association

In November 2015, the APA-Food Systems Planning Interest Group (APA-FIG) is highlighting and promoting food systems planning. APA-FIG is featuring interviews with practicing planners, special blog posts, and more. Have something to add? Visit the web page https://apafig.wordpress.com/Join us on Facebook, Twitter (@APA_FIG or @APA_Planning), Instagram (@foodsystemsplanning), LinkedIn, and be sure to check out the FIG blog. Use the hashtag #foodsystemsplanning when you post and tag APA-FIG.

2016 APA Conference Sessions on Food System Planning:

https://www.planning.org/events/nationalconferenceactivity/9001760/

https://www.planning.org/events/nationalconferenceactivity/9002312/

https://www.planning.org/events/nationalconferenceactivity/9003144/

https://www.planning.org/events/nationalconferenceactivity/9002107/

https://www.planning.org/events/nationalconferenceactivity/9001961/

https://www.planning.org/events/nationalconferenceactivity/9001964/

https://www.planning.org/events/nationalconferenceactivity/9001760/

https://www.planning.org/events/nationalconferenceactivity/9002312/

https://www.planning.org/events/nationalconferenceactivity/9003144/

https://www.planning.org/events/nationalconferenceactivity/9001955/

https://www.planning.org/events/nationalconferenceactivity/9002107/