Topic: Land Use

Sandy Mason, Extension Horticulture Educator, University of Illinois Extension, Champaign, Ford, Iroquois, Vermilion Counties

Host: Jim Meadows

Our topic will be lawn and garden care, and our guest will be Sandy Mason, horticulture educator with University of Illinois Extension.  We do these shows from time to time to help with problems in the home landscape, and we can take a wide range of questions on anything from trees and shrubs to vegetables and flowers, even houseplants. Whether you are trying to solve a problem, or you are looking for suggestions on what to plant, your call will be welcome.

William Sullivan, Professor / BLA Curriculum Committee Chair Department of Landscape Architecture, University of Illinois

Frances Kuo, Associate Professor, Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, College of ACES, University of Illinois

Host: Craig Cohen

Research in recent years has indicated a possible connection between people's health and well-being, and the environment around them. From elderly people tending to live longer when they live close to a park, to children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder displaying fewer symptoms afer spending time in nature. And then there are people who live in urban settings, without trees and grass. Research has indicated they tend to be more violent and aggressive.

So is it as simple as the more trees around you, the healthier, more productive, and happier you are? Or do we just happen to seek out places to live and work that reflect the personalities we already have, so peaceful, socially engaged people seek out trees, while more aggressive, intense people naturally prefer a big city? Are there other factors at play? Just what is the connection between our environment and our ability to interact, learn, and live healthy?

With Stephen P. Long, Ph.D., D.Sc. (the Gutgsell University Endowed Professor in Plant Biology and Crop Sciences; and Resident Scientist for the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, University of Illinois)

With John Briscoe, Ph.D. (The Gordon McKay Professor of the Practice of Environmental Health, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; Professor of the Practice of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard University; serves on the Water Science and Technology Board of the National Academy of Sciences), and Asma Faiz (Doctoral Student in the Department of Political Science, University of Illinois, and Fulbright Fellow)

With John Applegate, J.D. (Walter W. Foskett Professor of Law and Vice President for University Regional Affairs, Planning, and Policy, Indiana University)

With Robert B. Olshansky, Ph.D. (Professor and Associate Head of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Illinois)

With Ed Bangs (Northern Rocky Mountain Gray Wolf Recovery Coordinator, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Helena, Montana)

With Robert Pahre, Ph.D. (Professor of Political Science, and Director, European Union Center, University of Illinois)

The civic theater of community participation for architects, landscape architects, planners, and urban designers

Barbara Faga, Urban Planner and a Senior Vice-President of Eckbo, Dean, Austin and Williams