Health Equity in Public Space

A lecture by Nupur Chaudhury, member of the American Planning Association, the American Public Health Association, an Urban Design Forum’s Forefront Fellow, a Salzburg Global Seminar Fellow, board member of the Center for the Living City as well as Matthew Clarke, Executive Director of the Design Trust for Public Space, where he advocates for the power of public space to build vibrant, equitable communities.

Chaudhury is a public health urbanist who looks at cities, communities and connections through a grassroots lens. A bridge builder and translator in the fields of urban planning and public health, she has developed and implemented strategies to support residents, communities, and neighborhoods challenge power structures to build just, strong, and equitable cities. She has led coalition building efforts after Superstorm Sandy, redeveloped power structures in villages in India, and developed a citizen planning institute for public housing residents in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Her work spans the non profit, philanthropic and governmental systems, and has been featured in the American Journal of Public Health, CityLab, National Public Radio, and the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine.

She is a member of the American Planning Association, the American Public Health Association, an Urban Design Forum’s Forefront Fellow, a Salzburg Global Seminar Fellow, board member of the Center for the Living City, and past board member of University of Orange, and Made in Brownsville (now Youth Design Center). A founding director of the Center for Health Equity, housed at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, she holds degrees from Columbia University (Masters in Public Health), New York University (Masters in Urban Planning), and Bryn Mawr College (BA in Growth and Structure of Cities).

Clarke is the Executive Director of the Design Trust for Public Space, where he advocates for the power of public space to build vibrant, equitable communities. As an architect, planner, and writer, he has advanced complex architectural and urban design projects; developed public-space policies; and developed national partnerships and initiatives. Prior to leading the Design Trust, Matthew was that National Director of Creative Placemaking at The Trust for Public Land, where he was the author of The Field Guide for Creative Placemaking and Parks. He has also held positions at SHoP Architects, NYC’s Department of Cultural Affairs, and LTL Architects. He was a German Marshall Fund Urban Policy Fellow, a member of Next City’s Urban Vanguard, and winner of the international KPF Prize. Matthew serves as a Trustee of Bennington College and as Vice-President of the Lucille Lortel Foundation. He studied at Princeton University and the University of Kentucky.

Organized by Columbia University, Urban Design