Obesity and the Built Environment
While I have been recently discussing Smart
Cities and their future benefits, I stumbled upon an article that had a very
interesting argument in terms of the influence of the built environment on
people’s health, and what can be changed to make people healthier.
The article in question has found a correlation
between communities that lived in purely residential areas (think of a number
of suburbs in Sydney that are well away from the CBD and other town centres)
were ‘more weighty’ (bigger, fatter, heavier) than communities that were in
proximity to residential and commercial areas.
What does this mean?
It means that people who lived in suburbia were
spending more time driving, commuting and moving around in cars than people who
were able to walk or ride a bike to their work place, due to its proximity.
This is intriguing because it puts more
emphasis on the influence of the Built Environment on the health of communities
and individuals.
It also ties in with my discussions on high-rise
living and its implications. This study effectively states that a high-rise
community located in Pyrmont, or Wooloomooloo (in close proximity to the CBD)
would be healthier and less likely to be overweight than a suburban community
that lived in Mosman, or Balgowlah, who were forced to drive everywhere.
Isn’t that interesting?
This argument has also gathered greater impetus
because of the number of obese people in Australia. Urban sprawl, technology
and private cars have all contributed to sedentary, non-active life styles.
The article proved that where you are living
will clearly have a impact on your health, as people who lived in sprawling
cities were forced to drive everywhere, and were less active and healthy as a
result.
How can we, as representatives of the Built
Environment, make our communities
healthier?
1. Firstly
it would be to create community hubs with commercial and retail options that
were closer to residential areas. This would allow easier access to walk.
2. Introduce
incentives that discourage people from driving their cars into work.
3. Introduce
greater quality and healthier food options in local communities (less
fast-food, more healthy alternatives)
Personally, I had no idea that the built
environment can have such an impact on the way that we function, and the way
that we operate.
I am beginning to understand that communities
and populations are shaped by our Built Environment. If a community has a
number of parks, ovals and healthy food options that are all accessible, they
will most likely be healthy and fit. Comparatively, communities that are
subject to no open spaces and endless junk food options will struggle to stay
healthy.
For this particular situation, it is about
finding a balance between high density, inner city living and maintaining open spaces.
The article in question is here:
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