Miguel Angel Vazquez is an optimistic, dynamic, and multifaceted community planner. His passion for creativity and collaboration are his driving forces.

Over the past two decades, he has provided community development and professional planning services to the private, public, and military sectors.

As a planning and health integration expert at the Riverside University Health System-Public Health, Miguel works with non-traditional partners to strengthen the bond between planning and health.

As a recognized leader in his field, Miguel serves numerous steering committees and working groups, including Planners4Health California and the Planning for Health Equity, Advocacy, and Leadership (PHEAL) project.

He is the immediate past President of the California Planning Roundtable and a founding member of the American Planning Association (APA) Arts in Planning Division and HealthEquity and Planning Interest Group.

The APA and its affiliates have acknowledged his work and leadership with several prestigious awards, including the 2018 APA President’s Award and the2020 APA California Distinguished Contribution Award.

In 2021, Miguel received the Dale Prize from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, for his contributions to planning for healthy communities.

Miguel’s commitment to learning and innovation is evident in his educational background.

He graduated from California State University, Northridge, with a bachelor’s in Urban Studies and Planning. He is pursuing a Master’s in Public Health at Johns Hopkins University as a Bloomberg American Health Initiative Fellow.

His dedication to his field led him to his recent induction into the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), the profession’s highest honor bestowed upon a member of APA and AICP.

Miguel was born and raised in Mexico City and became an American citizen in2002. He moved to Riverside with his wife in 2002, where they are raising their two sons.

Miguel enjoys traveling and meeting new people from diverse backgrounds and is keenly interested in all things associated with imagination, creativity, and innovation.

To learn more about him, visitmavurbanplanning.com

Talks

• Session B: Balancing Growth: The Environmental Impact of Land Use, Infrastructure, and Corporate Distribution Centers