Nationally renowned, age-friendly infrastructure scholar to give next Hyde Lecture

Andy Hong, nationally renowned, age-friendly infrastructure scholar and director of the Healthy Aging and Resilient Places Lab at the University of Utah, will be giving the next Hyde Lecture entitled “Resilient Places for Healthy Aging,” at 4 p.m., March 4, at Richards Hall, room 15.

Hong leads the Healthy Aging and Resilient Places Lab where its mission is to create healthier and more resilient places for all people across the lifespan. Hong’s research examines the connection between the built environment and human health, with a particular focus on social and environmental determinants. His goal is to work with local communities and stakeholders to develop an equitable and sustainable place-based approach to healthy aging and resilient places.

This lecture will investigate the crucial role of one’s surroundings in promoting healthy aging, examining how current shortcomings in the built environment can hinder wellbeing. Hong will begin by exploring the challenges older adults face navigating their environments, emphasizing the critical need for age-friendly communities. Next, he will examine the unique challenges posed by the recent pandemic and its impact on older populations. Finally, Hong will delve into innovative, place-based approaches that prioritize resilience and adaptability, fostering a future where everyone can thrive in supportive and sustainable environments.

This presentation is part of the College of Architecture’s 2023-2024 Hyde Lecture Series featuring speakers from across disciplines that are united under the common theme of “Advancing Health: Planning and Designing for Healthful Places,” a thought-provoking series that highlights the important connection between the built environment and human health. Join the lecture series and explore avenues strategizing and creating healthful places that foster a brighter, more equitable future.

The college’s Hyde Lecture Series is a long-standing, endowed, public program. Each year the college hosts compelling speakers in the fields of architecture, interior design, landscape architecture and planning that enrich the ongoing dialog around agendas which are paramount to the design disciplines and our graduates.

For questions, email Kerry McCullough-Vondrak at kerry.vondrak@unl.edu.