Health, happiness and density

How many times have you heard that living in the suburbs is unhealthy?  That a car-centric lifestyle leads to obesity, social isolation and more?  A poverty of riches.  A need to change our way of life - give up those nasty cars and ride bicycles and walk more to be healthy like our more urban cousins.

This is a great article, "Health, Happiness and Density" from our friends at Save our Suburbs in Australia (see blog list on the right) who are experiencing the same push to urbanize as in America.  This debunks the lies surrounding the claim that suburbs are bad for your health.  My favorite part is where the author points out the fallacy of the Urbanist's claim that obesity is a consequence of suburban life:

The suburbs, after all, have been with us for 70 years and reached its mature development over 40 years ago. Obesity, on the other hand, is a much more recent phenomenon and is primarily due to people eating too much fattening food.

I would add too much time spent in front of a computer or TV and video games which are more common since the 90s.

Overweight kids were a rarity in my suburban neighborhood of the 50s and 60s, and when my kids were in school in LO in the 80s and 90s.  The fact is that obesity (and slimness) is associated more with education and wealth more than anything else.  To the degree environment plays a role in overall health of the population, studies show the suburbs fare better than both rural and urban areas.  The studies that put urban areas on top typically evaluate only rural and urban, so no measure is taken for the suburbs as a separate type.  The suburbs, with their low density environment, also have lower rates of stress and mental disease.  

The hype about urban life and increased density (vibrancy!) being healthier is bunk.  The suburbs are alive and well - and here to stay.