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Does Sprawl Make Us Fat?
Ant writes "A Science News article talks about the relationship between city design and health. New cross-disciplinary research is exploring whether urban sprawl makes us soft, or whether people who don't like to exercise move to the sprawling suburbs, or some combination of both." From the article: "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... There is evidence of an association between the built environment and obesity.' ... However, University of Toronto economist Matthew Turner charges that 'a lot of people out there don't like urban sprawl, and those people are trying to hijack the obesity epidemic to further the smart-growth agenda [and] change how cities look.' ... 'We're the only ones that have tried to distinguish between causation and sorting... and we find that it's sorting,' [says Turner]. 'The available facts do not support the conclusion that sprawling neighborhoods cause weight gain.'"
Correlation != causation
In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is. - Yogi Berra
It's a basic law of physics. Eating more calories than you burn with regularity makes you fat, and no amount of excuses will change that. As we become more sedentary due to technology's conveniences, our caloric needs decrease, and it is up to us to either take up recreational physical activity to continue our diets or restrict calories accordingly.
I am sick of the excuses made, and it's time to do something about the obesity epidemic before it bankrupts our healthcare system.
Ya, you should get a PhD if you know why it has taken people SO long to figure out that cities need to be build for people.
The burbs are build for cars. And they do an excellent job of making sure your car can enjoy everyday zipping about on roads. The parking lots of stores located beside each other are fenced off, so that your car gets enjoy driving out on to the road and in to the next parking lot.
The only reason I can think of why it has taken people SO long to figure this out is:
1) They really really love their cars. So the cities must be build for cars, forget about people they are not important.
2) Being forced to use cars everywhere gives people more opportunity to show off their lovely cars.
3) They have never had a chance to experience a transit based waking community.
4) Think transit is for poor people and second class people. And they don't want to be considered poor or second class.
5) Hell you can't build a city with out lots of roads and parking lots. How can I drive my car their. This makes me laugh!!
Solution transit hubs. Drive your car to the shopping center, transit, office hub. Park it and take a bus, train to another hub. Better still buy a condo over looking the hub's community park and sell your car.
But wait builders need to stop building houses, and start building communities. Until that happens enjoy your lonely time driving and getting fat in the burbs. Every day your car meets lots of cars, but you never meet new people.
Actually it is kind of strange North America has lots of land, but there is no land to build these communities. The land is covered with houses and it is virtually impossible to find enough space to build a hub anywhere but in the middle of some farmer's field. Solution is simple take a few city blocks around shopping centers and turn them into hubs. Even this is very difficult, because land price speculation and single hold out owners will kill redevelopment. An other solution is for the city governments to take over ownership of land. Home owners own their house, but rent their land. Much like property taxes, but urban redevelopment is not prevented by land price speculation and hold out owners. This seams to work quite well in Hong Kong. Give up you can't fight this. Get in your car, drive to the store and buy some chips and beer. Better get yourself piss drunk at least that way it won't hurt so to know you are destroying the world and yourself.
Wait the moment we start building hubs witch don't require cars, car sales will go down the the economy will fail. WRONG!!! Making a luxury into an necessity only increases the cost of living. The massive construction boom caused by building these hubs will more than make up for the lost car sales. But it will hurt the car industry. I am forgetting your love your car. Can't let anything happen to your car. Give it up, get out more, meet some people and save the world with less green house gases and less fighting over oil.
Why it has taken people SO long to figure out that cities need to be build for people.
The burbs are build for cars. And they do an excellent job of making sure your car can enjoy everyday zipping about on roads. The parking lots of stores located beside each other are fenced off, so that your car gets enjoy driving out on to the road and in to the next parking lot.
The only reason I can think of why it has taken people SO long to figure this out is:
1) They really really love their cars. So the cities must be build for cars, forget about people they are not important.
2) Being forced to use cars everywhere gives people more opportunity to show off their lovely cars.
3) They have never had a chance to experience a transit based waking community.
4) Think transit is for poor people and second class people. And they don't want to be considered poor or second class.
5) Hell you can't build a city with out lots of roads and parking lots. How can I drive my car there. This makes me laugh!!
A fellow Canadian
What make any place dangerous is an inadequate law enforcement system. Compare Chicago to New York, and you will see what I mean. Not all suburbs are safe, if you think so ask the people who live in old inner suburbs. So is the answer to keep building out and out further?
NO!
why it has taken people SO long to figure out that cities need to be build for people.
The burbs are build for cars. And they do an excellent job of making sure your car can enjoy everyday zipping about on roads. The parking lots of stores located beside each other are fenced off, so that your car gets enjoy driving out on to the road and in to the next parking lot.
The only reason I can think of why it has taken people SO long to figure this out is:
1) They really really love their cars. So the cities must be build for cars, forget about people they are not important.
2) Being forced to use cars everywhere gives people more opportunity to show off their lovely cars.
3) They have never had a chance to experience a transit based waking community.
4) Think transit is for poor people and second class people. And they don't want to be considered poor or second class.
5) Hell you can't build a city with out lots of roads and parking lots. How can I drive my car there. This makes me laugh!!
Solution transit hubs. Drive your car to the shopping center, transit, office hub. Park it and take a bus, train to another hub. Better still buy a condo over looking the hub's community park and sell your car.
But wait builders need to stop building houses, and start building communities. Until that happens enjoy your lonely time driving and getting fat in the burbs. Every day your car meets lots of cars, but you never meet new people.
Actually it is kind of strange North America has lots of land, but there is no land to build these communities. The land is covered with houses and it is virtually impossible to find enough space to build a hub anywhere but in the middle of some farmer's field. Solution is simple take a few city blocks around shopping centers and turn them into hubs. Even this is very difficult, because land price speculation and single hold out owners will kill redevelopment. An other solution is for the city governments to take over ownership of land. Home owners own their house, but rent their land. Much like property taxes, but urban redevelopment is not prevented by land price speculation and hold out owners. This seams to work quite well in Hong Kong. Give up you can't fight this. Get in your car, drive to the store and buy some chips and beer. Better get yourself piss drunk at least that way it won't hurt so to know you are destroying the world and yourself.
Wait the moment we start building hubs witch don't require cars, car sales will go down the the economy will fail. WRONG!!! Making a luxury into an necessity only increases the cost of living. The massive construction boom caused by building these hubs will more than make up for the lost car sales. But it will hurt the car industry. I am forgetting your love your car. Can't let anything happen to your car. Give it up, get out more, meet some people and save the world with less green house gases and less fighting over oil.
It's too bad there really are no alternatives to living in a suburb, unless you can telecommute or are a farmer. I would, naturally, prefer to live in a more pedestrian friendly place, but that just ain't gonna happen.