THOMASVILLE — Dr. Richard Jackson, physician and author, spoke about the community about health issues and the built environment at the Thomasville Center for the Arts. His presentation was a kick-off event for the communitywide workshop on MacIntyre Park enhancements.

“(Dr.) Jackson did a great job connecting the dots between public health problems with how we design the connectivity between our subdivisions, schools and businesses,” City of Thomasville Planner Brian Herrmann said.

Jackson illustrated the dilemma cities face with slides of residential areas and businesses that do not have access via bike lanes and sidewalks for pedestrians compared to those that did.

“I am afraid we have built communities for cars, not people,” Jackson said.

Jackson began his talk with statistics about the rise of obesity and diabetes as a nation and in Georgia. He suggested the good news for communities is that part of the solution is simply walking, and local leadership has a role in that solution to ensure that residents feel safe with walkable or bikeable access to destinations.

He spoke directly to children of the Scholars Academy Design Lab who started the exploration for MacIntyre Park and praised them for their work. Other audience members included physicians and nurses from Archbold Memorial Hospital, planning professionals from Albany and Tallahassee, Florida, as well as Thomasville residents.

Live Better, an Archbold-led community health initiative, partnered with the City of Thomasville to host Jackson, who offered his four-hour PBS series, “Making Healthy Places,” for replay on the city’s CNS network.

For more information, call 227-4118.