Building Connections, Empowering Communities: Active Transportation as a Solution

Join us for a one-day statewide bike conference bringing together riders, advocates, and leaders to explore active transportation as a solution and shape a more bike-friendly Utah.

Register Today

08/14/25

UVU

8am-4:30pm

08/14/25 UVU 8am-4:30pm

A one-day conference of bike advocates, planners, elected officials, and community leaders working to make Utah a better place to ride.

Join us as we explore Utah’s ever-expanding active transportation scene!

We’ll focus on the following three topics of conversation with panel discussions, workshops, presentations, and our keynote speaker:

Cultivating Connectivity

Enhancing mobility through active transportation networks, vibrant neighborhoods, appropriate land use, and seamless transit solutions.
Collaboration

Building partnerships between government entities, nonprofits, businesses, and communities to advance active transportation.
Active Transportation as a Solution

Working to address issues around sustainability, public health, traffic congestion, environmental challenges, or anything else that might be of concern to Utah communities.

Four Break Out Sessions.
Endless Takeaways.

  
        Sess.
        Cultivating Connectivity
        Collaboration
        Active Transportation as a Solution
      
        1
        Why Stroads Fail Us and Our Transportation System
        Partnership Power Mapping: Uncovering Allies for Healthy, Active Communities
        Convivial Streets: Reducing Tensions Between Locals and Tourists Through Active Transportation and Placemaking
      
        2
        Walk the Talk: A Step Towards Safer Streets OR Take a Walk: A Walk Audit Experience
        Trust on the Trail: Building Community Buy-In for the Utah Trail Network
        Multi-Modal Modus Operandi: The Role AT Plays in Public Transportation Success
      
        3
        How to Make TOD's Pencil
        How Do We Design Bike-With-Transit So That Older People Can Continue to Cycle?
        Trails to Tomorrow: Active Mobility Along Utah Lake
      
        4
        What Causes People to Act? Using "Fun and Friends" to Activate a Community
        Feeding 2 Birds with 1 Scone: bikeways.utah.gov
        The Power of Pedaling

Dr. Lawrence Frank

ABOUT LAWRENCE:

Dr. Frank specializes in the interaction between land use, travel behavior, air quality and health; and in the energy use and climate change impacts of urban form policies. He is a “walkability pioneer” and was among the very first to quantify connections between built environment, active transportation, and health.

He coined the term “walkability” in the early 90’s and his work led to WalkScore. He has been cited over 55,000 times. His H-Index is 101 placing him at the very top of planning and built environment academics in North America and globally according to Google Scholar. He has been listed in Thompson and Reuter’s top 1% in the social sciences.

Dr. Frank has published over 200 peer reviewed articles and reports and co-authored Heath and Community Design and Urban Sprawl and Public Health nearly two decades ago that mapped out the field emerging at the nexus between built and natural environments, transportation, and public health.

He coined the term “walkability” in the early 90’s and his work led to WalkScore.

Some objectives of the lecture include:

Analyzing the Impact of Urban Design on Public Health – Participants will learn how land use, transportation, and walkability influence air quality, physical activity, and overall well-being, using evidence-based research and real-world case studies;

Apply Data-Driven Strategies for Healthier Cities – Participants will learn how to leverage urban planning tools and policies, such as those developed by Urban Design 4 Health, Inc., to create more walkable, sustainable, and health-supportive communities;

Evaluate the Role of Transportation Policies in Promoting Active Living – Participants will explore how different transportation and land-use policies impact physical activity, social equity, and environmental sustainability in urban settings; and

Integrate Climate and Health Considerations into Urban Planning – Participants will gain practical knowledge on how to design cities that mitigate climate change effects while enhancing public health through walkability, green spaces, and sustainable infrastructure.

Dr. Lawrence Frank will explore the intersection of urban design, transportation, and public health, drawing from his pioneering research over the past 35 years at Georgia Tech, the University of British Columbia, and the University of California San Diego. Dr. Frank developed and has overseen the application of health-based evidence to transportation and land use decision making over the past 1/3 of a century through Urban Design 4 Health, Inc. (UD4H). Dr. Frank pioneered walkability related research in the mid 90’s and is a leader in quantifying how land use and transportation impact health, air quality, and climate resilience. Dr. Frank and his team develop data-driven tools such as the National Public Health Assessment Model (N-PHAM) used in over a dozen regions of the USA. This simulation tool is built on highly detailed spatial data and predicts contrasting health impacts of alternative land use and transportation investment scenarios. This tool supports policymakers, planners, and health professionals document health and economic benefits of more walkable, equitable, and sustainable communities. This lecture will provide key insights into evidence-based urban planning strategies, the latest research on built environments and well-being, and practical applications for shaping healthier cities.