Bacon's Rebellion

Democracy Thrives in Sunlight

Don’t Blame It on the Junk Food — Blame It on the Sprawl

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James A. Bacon
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Is there a connection between the shape of our cities and the shape of our bodies? That’s the question posited by Ben Harder in Science News Online. Harder describes the debate this way:

…Researchers have evidence that associates health problems 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. [University of British Columbia professor Lawrence] Frank proposes that sprawl discourages physical activity, but some 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.

Frank’s research team estimates that a typical white male living in a compact, mixed-use community weighs about 10 pounds less than a similar man in a diffuse subdivision containing nothing but homes.

University of Toronto economist Matthew Turner also has studied the sprawl-obesity connection, comparing the weights of people before and after moving to “sprawl”-style neighborhoods, but finds nearly zero correlation.

Speaking from my personal experience, I am convinced that there is a connection. I know for a fact that I walked a lot more when I worked in downtown Richmond and lived in the Fan than I do now living in the Henrico suburbs. Why? Because there were destinations that could be reached on foot. In the Fan, my wife and I walked to restaurants, walked to neighbors’ houses, walked to the wine shop, walked to the corner store to pick up a can of tomato paste needed for dinner. Needless to say, we drive everywhere now — even to neighborhood parties an eight-minute walk away!

I also know that I packed on about 10 pounds after four years living in the ‘burbs. It’s only when I found that I had high blood pressure that I embarked upon a nutrition and exercise regimen that enabled me to lose that ten pounds and more. The academic studies demonstrating the sprawl-obesity connection may not yet meet the standards of scientific proof, but I don’t need proof. I’ve lived the before and after. I know.

(Hat tip to Jon Baliles for referring me to John Sarvay’s post at Buttermilk and Molasses, “Getting the Fat out of Urban Design.”)

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11 responses to “Don’t Blame It on the Junk Food — Blame It on the Sprawl”

  1. Reid Greenmun Avatar
    Reid Greenmun

    Gee – are we looking hard to find something to say bad about living the American Dream?

    Where is the balance to point out the harm to one’s health for residents living in urban development that are victims of violent crime? What about the bad effects of noice pollution and poor air quality?

    Hummm – let me see – do I want to “suffer” due to an extra 10 lbs (which I can exercise and get rid of if I want) or do I want to suffer due to a gun shot wound inflicted by some urban thug because I am living in a crime ridden urban jungle?

    How about a study that compares average life expendency between urban dwellers and suburban dwellers?

    No thanks – those that want to pay top dollar to be crammed into “high density” (meaning crowded) urban jungles – knock yourselves out – Go for it!

    But don’t support setting the Nanny Police lose to harrass me because of my weight – that is MY business, not “urban planners”.

    Life in the ‘burbs is awesome when compared to life in the crowded urban jungle.

  2. Groveton Avatar
    Groveton

    It’s a pity that good arguments are ruined by bad logic.

    Effect: People who live in suburban sprawl are, on average, heavier than people who live in mixed use neighborhoods. Undoubtedly true.

    Cause: The sprawl limits walking which causes obesity. Unlikely to be the major issue.

    When I was 27 I lived in mid-town Manhattan – the ultimate mixed use community. I did walk to and from work most days.

    However…

    I was also 27, unmarried, no kids and had the time to train for and run marathons.

    Now it’s 20 years later.

    I am more than 10 pounds heavier.

    I am also married, have 5 kids and lack the time to train for and compete in marathons.

    I’d suggest that the real culprits (in order) are age, kids, marriage, living in NOVA vs. a mixed use community.

    I read the article (admittedly quickly). Did it mention age? If I looked at a graph of average ages of the adults living in “suburban sprawl” communities vs. “mixed use” communities – what would I see?

    I’ll bet I’d see a higher percentage of middle aged people in the suburban sprawl communities. And I’ll bet that’s the main reason they weigh more.

    Beyond age, the real issue with bad health and suburban sprawl is time. Too much time spent in transit. Too little time spend exercising. Of course, the age graph should be repeated with average number of children / household.

    Suburban sprawl is a problem. It needs to be addressed. However, blaming suburban sprawl for every human malady only undermines the strength of the argument.

  3. Jim Bacon Avatar
    Jim Bacon

    Reid, Yes, cities have more crime, but that crime is due to the socio-economic status, and associated pathologies, of city residents — not to the pattern and density of urban development. Watts in Los Angeles is, by your definition, a crime-ridden urban jungle. But it consists of detached, single-family houses — very similar in density and layout to Sandbridge (but without the beach)!

    Actually, there is a school of urban planning thought that good urban design can help discourage crime. Neighborhoods with vibrant pedestrian activity and “eyes on streets” orientation of buildings offer fewer opportunities for crime.

  4. Jim Bacon Avatar
    Jim Bacon

    Groveton, Your arguments make sense. The time famine is probably a big factor in the inability of suburbanites to exercise and keep their weight down. You’ve also identified the likely self-selecting factor (not identified in the article) that would account for suburbanites weighing more than their education/income-level counterparts in the ‘burbs — kids, or lack of them. People with kids tends to move to the ‘burbs. They have less time, exercise less and gain weight than their childless peers.

    Let me mull it over — I just may have to agree with you.

  5. Reid Greenmun Avatar
    Reid Greenmun

    Jim,

    Having grown up as a child in Los Angeles – and having witnessed first hand Watts “burn baby burn” – and now, many moons later as a 12-year resident of the Sandbridge neighborhood; Watts was far more harmful to one’s health (especially middle-aged white guys like the story wrote about) then Sandbridge.

    Sandbridge is high density and low crime.

    BTW talk about density! We have MASSIVE multi-story condos in my neighborhood, very HIGH density.

    My neighborhood is not filled with modest SFH like those found in Watts, it is filled with HUGE mini-mansions/beach rentals in the $1M or more price range. Each mini-mansion is ‘home’ to roughly 20 or more people at any given time in the warm months.

    It is largely a ghost town in the cold months. Except for all the construction crews – endlessly tearing dowm the old homes and replacing them with new mini-mansions.

    Did I mention we do NOT have a redevelopment authority in Virignia Beach?

    Did I mention we are the most populated city in Virginia?

    Mile for mile, acre for acre, the density in Sandbridge is very high.

    Yet – we have the one of the lowest crime rates in the nation for a community our size.

    Mixed-use, high density? Nope.

    No – there are no jobs in Sandbridge – nor any jobs within 6 miles of Sandbridge (not counting the Navy base just to the North).

    We have one store, two restaurants, and a few small mom & pop shops – and the folks that clean the mini-mansions one day – each week (Sat morning).

    There is only ONE windy-twisty and very OLD 2-lane country road in and out of my neighborhood. The same road since Sandbridge was created back in the 1950s.

    The developer paid for and built all of the roads in Sandbridge.

    The people that bought the homes paid the developer back – and then some.

    Sandbridge is an interesting community that doesn’t “fit” any of the traditional models of “high density” growth we normally discuss here.

    The fire station? The fire and rescue squad? All volunteer.

    The police? In the summer we have one officer. In the winter we have – none.

    Schools? Far away.

    Libraies? Far away.

    Trash collection? We pay for it.

    Beach replensihment? We pay for it – and the Feds chip in too.

    We all had our own well water and our own septic tanks – until a few years ago when the city forced us to pay to build a sewer system and to use city water.

    Yupper – we are pretty much on our own.

    Kinda blows all this talk about public facilities and development out the window.

  6. Jim Bacon Avatar
    Jim Bacon

    Reid, I know Sandbridge well. I’ve been vacationing there for 40 years, and my parents own a house on Sunfish a couple of blocks off the beach. You’re right, Sandbridge is fairly high density — and that’s my point. Density has very little to do with liveability.

    The property owners also made a quality-of-life decision to limit retail development — anything to avoid turning into Nags Head! Of course, I would argue that there are examples of very positive beach-area development that would enhance the quality of the community rather than detract from it. Too bad Sandbridge didn’t consider those. Also, from my perspective, it is a major hassle to drive “in” to Virginia Beach for basic amenities like groceries, restaurants, jobs, etc.

    Obviously, you’re willing to put up with the hassle, as is your right to do. Sandbridge is a special-enough place to warrant it. But the same can’t be said of most of the new communities being built in Hampton Roads. What may work for Sandbridge won’t work for them.

  7. Reid Greenmun Avatar
    Reid Greenmun

    Jim, agreed to all.

    BTW, Welcome to my neighborhood!! – nice place, isn’t it?

    Yet – everyday working folks like my family are being taxed out of our modest homes. That doesn’t seem right to me.

    I think we need to consider a Calf.-like homestead act in VA.

    Oh, and you’re right – we ‘sand people” are used to “driving into town” to go shopping and all – yet, have to fear!! Suburban ring city development is rapidly moving towards Sandbridge and the amenities within 6 miles of our residential beach community are becoming excellent!

    Ahhh! I love the smell of suburban ring cities in the morning!

  8. E M Risse Avatar
    E M Risse

    Gentlemen:

    Let me suggest if we stop using the Core Confusing Words like “subruban,” “city,” etc. and evolve an explict vocabulary to discusse human settlement patterns it would not take thousands of posts to discover 80 percent or more agree on almost aspects of both functional and dysfunctional settlement patterns.

    EMR

  9. Reid Greenmun Avatar
    Reid Greenmun

    EMR – sorry, but suburbs exist – as do cities.

    They don’t go away because you wish to call them something else.

    Taxomony – welcome to my world.

    You want to use a new lexicon. You want to define new terms for “human settlement patterns ” – fine with me, but the majority of folks in the world still live in suburbs and cities. Those are the terms they use. Just ask them.

    You know – the ‘lingo’ of urban planners is very gray and vague too – for example, what does “human scale” really mean? How about “Pedestrain Friendly”?

    Those terms are subjective, not objective.

    EMR – just out of curiosity, what term for “human settlement patterns” do you use for Sandbridge?

  10. Ray Hyde Avatar
    Ray Hyde

    “blaming suburban sprawl for every human malady only undermines the strength of the argument.”

    Precisely.

  11. Ray Hyde Avatar
    Ray Hyde

    EMR has invented a language from scratch, in order that only he can win the argument he makes.

    He’ll have a bigger audience, and more converts if he uses language ordinary people understand. Offering incentives rather than punishment wouldn’t hurt, either.

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