In a recent article of Science News, researchers found...So far, the dozen strong studies that have probed the relationships among the urban environment, people’s activity, and obesity have all agreed, says Ewing. “Sprawling places have heavier people,” he says. “There is evidence of an association between the built environment and obesity.”Some scientists propose that sprawl discourages physical activity, but other researchers suggest that people who don't care to exercise choose suburban life. Besides working to settle that disagreement, researchers are looking at facets of urban design that may shortchange health.
As scientists investigate the relationship between sprawl and obesity, a compact style of city development sometimes called smart growth might become a tool in the fight for the nation's health.
Smart growth is a concept and term used by those who seek to identify a set of policies governing transportation and land use planning policy for urban areas that benefits communities and preserves the natural environment. Proponents of smart growth advocate comprehensive planning to guide, design, develop, revitalize and build communities that: have a unique sense of community and place; preserve and enhance natural and cultural resources; equitably distribute the costs and benefits of development; expand the range of transportation, employment and housing choices; value long-range, regional considerations of sustainability over a short term focus; and promote public health and healthy communities.
Researchers and scientists feel that Atlanta is NOT one of those healthy communities...
Lawrence Frank is no couch potato. Taking full advantage of his city's compact design, the Vancouver, British Columbia, resident often bikes to work and walks to stores, restaurants, and museums. That activity helps him stay fit and trim. But Frank hasn't always found his penchant for self-propulsion to be practical. He previously lived in Atlanta, where the city's sprawling layout thwarted his desire to be physically active as he went about his daily business."The overarching message is that the built environment is an enabler or a disabler of active transportation—of walking," Frank says.
I'd also like to remind the leaders of Cherokee County that a push to keep 2 acre lot sizes or lower density and not embracing mixed-use planned communities (like Macauley's Village in the Forest) could lead to Cherokee County having a health problems both physical and financial health problems. We need healthy residents and we need healthy commercial growth - it will take smart residential planning to accommodate both.
Labels: smart growth
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