 Good morning and welcome to the third Health and the Built Environment Conference. First of all I'd like to say everybody who's from out of town, welcome to San Antonio. We hope that you spend money and hope that you just enjoy yourself. We hope to have today a full conference. We're trying to start on time because we have a lot of activities that we're playing for today. But I just want to run through a couple of things just so that you understand the purpose of this conference. As I mentioned, this is the third conference. But the purpose is to work collectively and to break down silos both within and without the community in order to facilitate health and wellness in all of our neighborhoods. We are working with architects, planners, construction people, as well as the health department in integrating this environment that we live in. So that's really important that we talk about that today. So our premise is to underscore and incorporate what we call the social determinants of health. And social determinants of health are going to be integrated. Okay, test. Okay, the social determinants of health are going to be integrated into each one of these sessions today. So you get a broader perspective of what we mean. Now, along with the American Public Health Association and the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, our goal for this entire year is to deal with health and all policies. And you hear that throughout, that theme throughout all of our sessions today. But we also want to thank a couple of people for getting us here today. We have the San Antonio River Authority, the University Health System, and you'll see some streaming here on the side. The UTSA Department of Kinesiology, Health and Nutrition, the Bear County Health Collaborative, the UT Health Science Center, the San Antonio Institute for Health Promotion and Research, the American Institute of Architects, the San Antonio Chapter, HEB, our famous grocer here in town, the Whitty Museum, and HEB and the Whitty Museum and Health Department have a very unique program that we collect in data that you'll see in some of the posters outside, some of the work we're doing that's very unique to that collaboration. Also, some of our sponsors include the Institute for Leadership in Capital Projects. It's time, Texas. The American Planning Association is the Texas Chapter and now cast San Antonio. But also, another group I want to actually introduce as well as thank, and that's the Planning Committee for this program. They worked almost all year planning this program. And so, if the Planning Committee viewers in the room, would you just stand up just briefly so that people can see who's or part of this? So, we're going to make this short here. I was told just to do a couple of words and then I have to introduce our illustrious mayor. But also, there's some sponsor exhibits that we have outside. So please, during the course of even changing sessions, just to stop by and see some of the poster sessions. We also have a UTSA student project on low-impact development. That's also out in the foyer as well as our display on, again, the social determinants of health. And you actually understand what our perspectives are in the health department as well as how we're trying to integrate into the community at large. And I'll say one other thing. We have three major projects going on in the city of San Antonio this year. That's our sustainability plan, our comprehensive plan, and our transportation plan. All those plans now have some piece of health involved in all the plans. And we look forward to the outcome of those projects. But my real task here this morning is to introduce an outstanding mayor of the city of San Antonio. She's been a member of the San Antonio City Council prior to her appointment and election as mayor of San Antonio. She has remained focused on balanced growth throughout the city and targeted investment areas where opportunities have been limited. She led the effort to bring over $50 million in federal funding for revitalization of the San Antonio Eastside. And that's one of her favorite communities. And also, Mayor Taylor has obtained a master's degree in city and regional planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a bachelor's degree from Yale University. Without further ado, I'd just like to introduce Mayor Ivy Taylor. Thank you, Dr. Nathan. Well, good morning, everyone. It's great to see such a nice looking crowd out here, especially at this hour of the morning on a Friday, right? Well, on behalf of the citizens of San Antonio and my city council colleagues, one of whom is here right now, Councilman Gonzales, welcome to this very important event. I know that you've taken time out of your busy schedules. I appreciate that, and many of you have been involved in organizing or will be presenting today, the third annual conference addressing health in the environment, so we appreciate your presence and participation. I know that you are in for our treat today. It's a great opportunity to talk about issues that we all care so much about, the ways that we can make our community and our families healthier, safer, and more resilient. We're also up for a challenge. As you know, we need to make changes, and that's never easy. Our air and water quality are top except that we must address the threats to them. We have rates of chronic diseases like diabetes that are still too high here in San Antonio. Now, I'm not only the mayor, but I am also a community development professional. I'm also a former instructor in urban administration. I've trained as a planner, but most importantly, I'm the mother of a sixth grader. And the impact of public infrastructure projects and the regulatory and incentive environment that shapes the private components of the built environment will be one of our key topics today. We need infrastructure that connects all San Antonians to opportunity. It's mayor that's a principal concern of mine. It's my key theme, but also the safety of the streets on my block and the opportunity for my daughter to enjoy our neighborhood park, also topped the list as a mom. Each of you here in this room bring valuable perspectives, just as each part of our public realm should serve multiple purposes. Streets, parks, plazas, and sidewalks are our Howard W. Peake Creekway trail system properly designed and maintained. They support our social bonds by connecting us, giving us a chance to get exercise, clean our air and water, and improve the adjacent property values and even attract visitors. These all offer social, economic and environmental benefits, and that's the way we need to think. All of these multifunctional places taken together constitute our shared living space, a space that belongs to everyone, places that belong to all of us have to welcome all of us, particularly in light of our need as a community and a country to grow more sustainably. Now, while sustainability is often thought of as a green concept, it isn't just a green concept, it's also about efficiency, which we talk about a lot at City Hall, using our resources wisely, especially if those resources are taxpayer dollars. We have hundreds of billions of dollars in unmet transportation needs around the country, and many cities are laboring to fill environmental remediation mandates from the federal government due to impacts on air and water quality. Now, just let me digress for a moment here. I don't want to imply that cities aren't green because density is the best path to reducing resource consumption, and the greenest city in the U.S. by many metrics is the one where I started my life's journey, New York City. I'm surprised to find that out. When we can all walk and cycle safely to access places we need or want to go, and these are modes of transportation that are supported by density, by the way, then we will have a healthier and more sustainable city and a more equitable city because walking and biking are much more affordable than other modes, mainly having an automobile. We don't tend to think about how much it actually costs to maintain a car. A city like this that I'm describing also offers a benefit for people who want or have to drive their cars, and that would be a reduction in traffic congestion. As the incomparable Jane Jacobs wrote, In the death and life of great American cities required reading for any planning student like me, traffic congestion is caused by vehicles, not by people in them. At the national level, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Fox issued the mayor's challenge for safer people and safer streets, which I have accepted. And in just a few moments, you'll hear from my colleague, Councilwoman Gonzales, regarding Vision Zero, which truly complements Secretary Fox's challenge. I'd like to highlight the progress that we're making in regard to meeting the goals of both of those initiatives. After reviewing that mayor's challenge with staff from our city departments, such as transportation and capital improvements, I was pleased to see that many of the components include actions that the City of San Antonio has already been working on in order to enhance safety. And in 2011, the City of San Antonio adopted a complete streets policy, and we're actively working on reconfiguring important streets like Broadway to welcome and protect pedestrians and cyclists. In 2011, the City adopted the Safe Passing Ordinance, requiring a minimum of three feet of space be given to vulnerable road users such as bicyclists and pedestrians when passing. And a few years later, in 2014, the City Council adopted the first-hand free ordinance restricting individuals from using cell phones when operating a vehicle in order to reduce dangerous, distracted driving. More recently, under a grant administered through the Alamo Area MPO, the city staff is working on identifying pedestrian priority areas and treatments that go above and beyond minimum standards to emphasize pedestrian safety and comfort. And the city is not only looking at engineering components, but also we're looking for opportunities to continue the enhancement of walking and biking safety laws and regulations at the local and state level, including reductions in speed limits. In short, our city has been and continues to be proactive regarding traffic safety. We've made and are continuing to establish policy decisions that direct the city staff to construct projects that keep everyone in every mode of transportation in mind. However, as we'll discuss today, achieving a healthy built environment is not just about traffic engineering. It's also about land use decision, urban design, which I've been talking a lot about lately, and how we structure our development incentives. But most importantly, achieving a healthier built environment is about each and every one of you here in this room. It's about each of you being an advocate for change, letting your elected officials and neighbors know that our future depends on realizing these very ideas and actions that we'll be discussing today, and that the cost of maintaining the status quo is too great for our community. Thank you so much. I'm very excited about the rest of the day. Thank you for being here.