Suburban Sprawl? Scientists continue to

Suburban Sprawl? Scientists continue to wrestle with the question of whether fat people move to the suburbs or if the suburbs create fat people. But one point is no longer debatable: the suburban lifestyle positively correlates with obesity. From this weeks Science News Online "Weighing in on City Planning":

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.”

Health problems are associated with urban sprawl, a loose term for humanmade landscapes characterized by a low density of buildings, dependence on automobiles, and a separation of residential and commercial areas. 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.

-- Marlow Harris, www.360digest.com

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