[from UVA Today] The conditions of 21st-century life – an aging population, environmental pollution, rapid urbanization, increased poverty, the rising cost of medical care, the need for preventive medicine and developments in social and medical science – have created a host of challenges and opportunities for those who design and plan environments that aid and nurture health and well-being.

Recognizing the relationship between design and health, the University of Virginia School of Architecture on May 12 launched the Center for Design and Health to pursue cross-disciplinary research to advance the design and planning of patient-centered facilities and healthy neighborhoods, towns and cities.