Sprawl and Health

[webdude]

Weighing In on City Planning

Could smart urban design keep people fit and trim?

Ben Harder

http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20070120/bob9.asp

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.

"There was not much to walk to," says Frank, a professor of urban planning at the University of British Columbia. For example, he recalls that there was only one decent restaurant within walking distance of his old home. Many restaurants and other businesses in Atlanta cluster in strip malls that stand apart from residential areas.

... continue at http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20070120/bob9.asp

[Highway6]

written by Ben Harder

what cruel parents...

[musicman]

IMO overall they are separate. I know if a restaurant is close, i will go there more to eat. but if the food isn't healthy (or you just eat too much) then you've lost the benefit.

[TheNiche]

I don't know that this study applies too well to many newer subdivisions, at least here in Houston. Most seem to have at least some form of recreation area built into them along with pedestrian trails, usually around the detention ponds.

...and frankly I always see more people recreating outdoors in the burbs than I ever do in Montrose.

[Pumapayam]

Weighing In on City Planning

Could smart urban design keep people fit and trim?

Duh!

Walk-able neigborhoods. . . this guy who wrote the article really thinks he hit the nail on it huh.

[KinkaidAlum]

I don't know that this study applies too well to many newer subdivisions, at least here in Houston. Most seem to have at least some form of recreation area built into them along with pedestrian trails, usually around the detention ponds.

...and frankly I always see more people recreating outdoors in the burbs than I ever do in Montrose.

That might be because in a master planned community, everyone is sharing the same common facilities. However, if you live in Montrose, you might...

1) Ride your bike along the trails of Allen Parkway

2) Ride your bike to the Ho Chi Minh trails in Memorial Park

3) Jog along Allen Parkway

4) Jog in Memorial Park

5) Jog the Hermann Park/Rice U Loop

6) Play tennis at Memorial Park or Cherryhurst or River Oaks or UST or Rice or Lamar...

7) golf at Hermann or Memorial

8) stroll lower Westheimer

9) canoe/kayak on the bayou

10) hit any of the numerous gyms (Fit, Houstonian, Fitness Exchange, 24 Hour Fitness, etc...)

11) hit Heights Blvd

12) skate/bike downtown on a weekend

[musicman]

That might be because in a master planned community, everyone is sharing the same common facilities. However, if you live in Montrose, you might...

1) Ride your bike along the trails of Allen Parkway

2) Ride your bike to the Ho Chi Minh trails in Memorial Park

3) Jog along Allen Parkway

4) Jog in Memorial Park

5) Jog the Hermann Park/Rice U Loop

6) Play tennis at Memorial Park or Cherryhurst or River Oaks or UST or Rice or Lamar...

7) golf at Hermann or Memorial

8) stroll lower Westheimer

9) canoe/kayak on the bayou

10) hit any of the numerous gyms (Fit, Houstonian, Fitness Exchange, 24 Hour Fitness, etc...)

11) hit Heights Blvd

12) skate/bike downtown on a weekend

.......and most would drive to these places..

[TheNiche]

That might be because in a master planned community, everyone is sharing the same common facilities. However, if you live in Montrose, you might...

...exactly, you might. Or you might not out of fear for personal safety. And you can just forget about letting kids wander around the neighborhood unescorted.

Fear kills walkability.

[Subdude]

I think sometimes people's fear is overstated. If you are reasonably sensible most of these places are perfectly safe.

In Vancouver, to use the article's example, biking/walking doesn't have to be defined just as "recreating." The point is you can live most of your day-to-day life without using a car. Houston does have plenty of recreation alternatives, and is a darn good biking city if you ask me, but you really couldn't go about your life easily without a car.

[KinkaidAlum]

Yawn. Fear is boring.

Use common sense. Know your neighbors. Be friendly. Don't draw attention to yourself (with flashy cars, clothes, and jewelry), and you'll most likely be fine.

I was born in raised in Houston. I lived in Montrose for 7 years. I rode my bike to UH through midtown back before it was anything BUT trendy. I worked for two years at Davis High School and walked all over the near Northside without fear. I now live in downtown Boston. I walk alone at night. I ride the Silver Line bus almost daily (serves the poorest areas of Boston). I ride the T. I used to work in a coffee shop at night and would often have to close up alone. I've never been a victim of crime nor do I live in fear.

My sister lives alone in a beautiful house adjacent to Bell Park. She's lived there for years. She's never had a problem walking her dogs to Hermann Park and she even knows the homeless folks that live in Bell Park. If she can live without fear, I'd hope you two could as well.

[KatieDidIt]

I thought Houston was much more fun to outdoor recreate in myself. Always something new and interesting to see, plenty of people around if something went wrong or you got hurt, and if you got tired a little sooner that day there was always the quick and easy way home. Gyms were a lot more serious also, because of the competition and numbers in each area.

In the burbs things are very spread out and looping, with out any really grid or attempt at a grid. Also being a city girl, there is something a little creepy about walking by yourself on a path, behind trees, out of passer-bys vision. So I guess fear can work in the reverse in this sense. And you certainly HAVE to drive to any store.

To each his own though.

[TheNiche]

Yawn. Fear is boring.

Use common sense. Know your neighbors. Be friendly. Don't draw attention to yourself (with flashy cars, clothes, and jewelry), and you'll most likely be fine.

Kind of ironic. One of the things that makes urban areas so attractive is that there are so many ostentatious characters, but to live there safely, according to you, you must first embrace anonymity and sameness. Unless you live your life vicariously through more risky urbanites, that'd seem pretty boring to me.

But in some ways you're right. The urban crime problem as exists in most yuppified areas is more perceived than real. And to the extent that it is real, a lot of it is only going to occur if you're inviting it upon yourself. The problem is that people base their decisions upon their perceptions, and their perceptions do not always match reality.

And so I repeat: Fear kills walkability.

[Montrose1100]

...and frankly I always see more people recreating outdoors in the burbs than I ever do in Montrose.

Thats because in Montrose,

[KinkaidAlum]

Kind of ironic. One of the things that makes urban areas so attractive is that there are so many ostentatious characters, but to live there safely, according to you, you must first embrace anonymity and sameness. Unless you live your life vicariously through more risky urbanites, that'd seem pretty boring to me.

But in some ways you're right. The urban crime problem as exists in most yuppified areas is more perceived than real. And to the extent that it is real, a lot of it is only going to occur if you're inviting it upon yourself. The problem is that people base their decisions upon their perceptions, and their perceptions do not always match reality.

And so I repeat: Fear kills walkability.

Where in the hell did you get that I said you must embrace anonymity and sameness in order to avoid crime?

There's a big difference between knowing your neighbors/not being a flashy braggard that shows off his/her wealth and being a suburban clone without a personality.

Additionally, most long-time residents of the Montrose or most any Inner Loop neighborhood don't base their life around fear. They aren't afraid to travel off the beaten path. They aren't afraid to venture into different areas or try new food or take advantage of a public park. Take a visit to the real neighborhoods around Montrose and you'll see people walking their dogs, playing tennis and using the playground at Cherryhurst Park, strolling Lower Westheimer or the River Oaks Shopping Center, dining out on the street/sidewalk at Paulie's or Baba Yega's or Empire or Brasil or... enjoying the Menil or Rothko Chapel and the garden setting around them. These aren't people who need the sterility of a master planned community, a fake lake, a gated enclave behind a guard hutch, a bike path to nowhere or a "community pool" only open to others who can afford that luxury in order to feel safe!

[TheNiche]

Where in the hell did you get that I said you must embrace anonymity and sameness in order to avoid crime?

There's a big difference between knowing your neighbors/not being a flashy braggard that shows off his/her wealth and being a suburban clone without a personality.

You stated: "Don't draw attention to yourself (with flashy cars, clothes, and jewelry), and you'll most likely be fine." The twisted image that popped into my mind was of what would happen if everyone took that advice, just wore Mao jackets everywhere, and lived an understated existence without any outward expression of luxury, wealth, or attention-grabbing flamboyancy.

By the way, where does the phrase "suburban clone without a personality" fit in? If it is a description of the hell that I described above based upon your advice, then they would be 'urban clones with suppressed personalities'. So is that how you perceive suburbanites? If so...jeez man.

Additionally, most long-time residents of the Montrose or most any Inner Loop neighborhood don't base their life around fear. They aren't afraid to travel off the beaten path. They aren't afraid to venture into different areas or try new food or take advantage of a public park. Take a visit to the real neighborhoods around Montrose and you'll see people walking their dogs, playing tennis and using the playground at Cherryhurst Park, strolling Lower Westheimer or the River Oaks Shopping Center, dining out on the street/sidewalk at Paulie's or Baba Yega's or Empire or Brasil or... enjoying the Menil or Rothko Chapel and the garden setting around them. These aren't people who need the sterility of a master planned community, a fake lake, a gated enclave behind a guard hutch, a bike path to nowhere or a "community pool" only open to others who can afford that luxury in order to feel safe!

These are also the people that move to the sterile master planned community with a fake lake, a gated enclave behind a guard hutch, a bike path to nowhere, or a "community pool" only open to others who can afford that luxury in order to feel safe, once they have kids. Sure, a few stay put, but the demographic composition speaks for itself. Three reasons: quality of schools, perceived safety, and affordability as it relates to home/yard size. They then drive to access these and other regional amenities. That is the trade-off that most people are willing to make in order to maximize their utility while satisfying their budget constraint. Not every kid's parents can afford to send them to Kinkaid, you know.

Is that not readily apparent?

[KinkaidAlum]

I was on scholarship but thanks for playing.

Yes, my idea of a safe urban paradise is for us all to wear a Mao jacket. I am off to Buffalo Exchange to find me a new one.

[TheNiche]

Yes, my idea of a safe urban paradise is for us all to wear a Mao jacket. I am off to Buffalo Exchange to find me a new one.

Ah ha! I always knew you were a pinko commie liberal!