What happened to American cities, many cities around the world for that matter? People live in them, but do they thrive? If major arterials and freeways are any glimpse into American life, it appears that cities are just used to get through. In the early '80's, a Francis Ford Coppola film showed it best. Directed by Godfrey Reggio with music by Philip Glass, Koyaanisqatsi presented cities and modern life as chaos, or as the Navaho word translates, "life out of balance."
And so it appears. People are disaffected, removed from their natural world. They get into cars, drive to work, some at distances, others stuck in gridlocked traffic. During it all, they roll up their windows and turn on the air conditioning further shutting themselves off from others and the natural world. It is no wonder that obesity, heart disease, and numerous emotional illnesses continue to rise.
Seattle's Sightline Institute, reported in August that recent research indicates that long commutes diminish health*. According to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index], "one in three workers with a commute of more than 90 minutes say they have had a neck or back condition that has caused recurrent pain in the past 12 months. Those with long commutes are also more likely to say they have at some point been diagnosed with high cholesterol and are more likely to have a Body Mass Index that classifies them as obese." Results of the same study indicate that long commutes take a toll on emotional as well as physical health. As commute time increases scores decline in two measurements:% Who experienced enjoyment much of the previous day and % Who felt well-rested the previous day while worry scores increased as commute time increased.
While we puzzle over how to improve our lives, other researches lay out the solutions. In October the American Journal of Public Health will include "A Comparative Analysis of City, State, and International Data" by Pucher, Buehler, Bassett, and Dannenberg. These researchers present "...statistical significance of the relationship between active travel and rates of physical activity, obesity, and diabetes." Their "analysis provides evidence of the population-level health benefits of active travel." The bottom line, walking and bicycling are good for the health of people and of our cities.
Comments