Urban Sprawl Makes Americans Fat, Study Finds

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Don't worry about the neighrbors. I'll pay them off with free lawn mowings from my kids 🙂

no, no, no... That will only endear your kids to them and they'll be even more likely to call social services.

No, what you do is: Allow the kids to run all over their property like wild animals, making noise all day and night and ruining their gardens. THEN, when you finally do tie them up, your neighbors will cheer!

😀

 

[notfred]

Fausto, you ever consider moving out of atlanta? You don't seem to like it very much, and there are other cities that are laid out much better for your active lifestyle.

 

[Fausto]

Originally posted by: notfred
Fausto, you ever consider moving out of atlanta? You don't seem to like it very much, and there are other cities that are laid out much better for your active lifestyle.

What would I have to complain about then? 😀


Seriously: I'd love to move to CA or CO but it's not going to happen anytime soon. Both of us have jobs we like and mine happens to have very good benefits as well. Rather important as our family will be +1 in about a month. 😉

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Fausto1

Originally posted by: notfred
Fausto, you ever consider moving out of atlanta? You don't seem to like it very much, and there are other cities that are laid out much better for your active lifestyle.

What would I have to complain about then? 😀


Seriously: I'd love to move to CA or CO but it's not going to happen anytime soon. Both of us have jobs we like and mine happens to have very good benefits as well. Rather important as our family will be +1 in about a month. 😉

Yep, you go where the opportunity is. Why the fsck else would I be in bumfsck IL?

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: Fausto1

Originally posted by: notfred
Fausto, you ever consider moving out of atlanta? You don't seem to like it very much, and there are other cities that are laid out much better for your active lifestyle.

What would I have to complain about then? 😀


Seriously: I'd love to move to CA or CO but it's not going to happen anytime soon. Both of us have jobs we like and mine happens to have very good benefits as well. Rather important as our family will be +1 in about a month. 😉

Yep, you go where the opportunity is. Why the fsck else would I be in bumfsck IL?

I moved to AL because it was a childhood dream of mine 🙂

 

[conjur]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
The problem isn't sprawl, it's the people who choose not to make an effort to just get up and do something. People just want to sit in front of computer and post on an internet forum or something.

*looks at own postcount*

D'Oh.

Seriously though people just don't do enough.

ZV

Not so sure about that. The ultimate responsibility lies in the zoning agencies/planning commissions. Here, in Louisville, the east/northeast areas are starting to sprawl. The biggest problem with that is that the roads get overlooked. Put a new 20,000-30,000 people (residents/consumers of businesses) in an area and expect them to travel on simple two-lane roads with business clogging the roadsides and the eventual traffic light every few hundred yards.

Major thoroughfares MUST be done like is done in, say, Dallas and Houston (among other areas I'm sure) and that's with access lanes parallel to the main roadway with interchanges ever so often. That lets the main traffic flow and people can easily get to businesses on either side of the roadway. As it is now, with traffic lights all over the place, you end up with gridlock and people running red lights, blocking intersections so they can get their car past the white line once the light is red, etc. Yes, it actually eats up a bit more land to do that but it makes things SO MUCH more efficient and lowers pollution to boot. At the least, an overpass/underpass design at major intersections to let traffic flow freely and provide merge lanes for those wanting to turn.

Another problem is just plain misuse of land. Why sprawl out when plenty of areas in the urban section can be bought for probably the same $$ and renovated or torn down and rebuilt. There's a start to renovate our downtown. Some high-rise (for Louisville) luxury condos are going in down near the waterfront, there's a new waterfront park, the new AAA baseball field downtown, restaurants, upcoming 4th street renovation to include hotels, Hard Rock Cafe, Borders, ESPN Zone to bring more life to downtown and make it an enjoyable place to live.

What I'd like to see is an end to the SuperSize WalMarts and a move toward neighborhood-sized stores and a village concept. Build a few subdivisions along with doctors' offices, grocery, hardware, etc. but the grocery/hardware are scaled down and localized. It still lets the big conglomo-companies provide volume discounts but lessens the need to drive 10-15 miles to get to one. Each store wouldn't need as much inventory so they could be smaller in size and still be successful. Granted, that's a lot of wishful thinking but until companies realize the true damage they are helping to cause, it will continue to worsen.

And having planning commissions that routinely ignore residents' wishes and protests and just let the developers do as they please is certainly not beneficial to the stopping of sprawl.

 

[Red Dawn]

Living in the Boston area you can get along very well without a car as everything you need is well within walking distance and the Bus and Rail systems are very convenient.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: conjur

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
The problem isn't sprawl, it's the people who choose not to make an effort to just get up and do something. People just want to sit in front of computer and post on an internet forum or something.

*looks at own postcount*

D'Oh.

Seriously though people just don't do enough.

ZV

Not so sure about that. The ultimate responsibility lies in the zoning agencies/planning commissions. Here, in Louisville, the east/northeast areas are starting to sprawl. The biggest problem with that is that the roads get overlooked. Put a new 20,000-30,000 people (residents/consumers of businesses) in an area and expect them to travel on simple two-lane roads with business clogging the roadsides and the eventual traffic light every few hundred yards.

Major thoroughfares MUST be done like is done in, say, Dallas and Houston (among other areas I'm sure) and that's with access lanes parallel to the main roadway with interchanges ever so often. That lets the main traffic flow and people can easily get to businesses on either side of the roadway. As it is now, with traffic lights all over the place, you end up with gridlock and people running red lights, blocking intersections so they can get their car past the white line once the light is red, etc. Yes, it actually eats up a bit more land to do that but it makes things SO MUCH more efficient and lowers pollution to boot.

Another problem is just plain misuse of land. Why sprawl out when plenty of areas in the urban section can be bought for probably the same $$ and renovated or torn down and rebuilt. There's a start to renovate our downtown. Some high-rise (for Louisville) luxury condos are going in down near the waterfront, there's a new waterfront park, the new AAA baseball field downtown, restaurants, upcoming 4th street renovation to include hotels, Hard Rock Cafe, Borders, ESPN Zone to bring more life to downtown and make it an enjoyable place to live.

What I'd like to see is an end to the SuperSize WalMarts and a move toward neighborhood-sized stores and a village concept. Build a few subdivisions along with doctors' offices, grocery, hardware, etc. but the grocery/hardware are scaled down and localized. It still lets the big conglomo-companies provide volume discounts but lessens the need to drive 10-15 miles to get to one. Granted, that's a lot of wishful thinking but until companies realize the true damage they are helping to cause, it will continue to worsen.

And having planning commissions that routinely ignore residents' wishes and protests and just let the developers do as they please is certainly not beneficial to the stopping of sprawl.

Sprawling issues aside, people need to look to themselves for better health - not commisions.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Living in the Boston area you can get along very well without a car as everything you need is well within walking distance and the Bus and Rail systems are very convenient.

Same in Halifax, NS. In Birmingham, however, you'd be dead in the water. Absolutely and utterly impossible to get around without a car.

 

[conjur]

Originally posted by: SkoorbSprawling issues aside, people need to look to themselves for better health - not commisions.

Oh, I agree. I was just working on a tangent that was forming in the thread earlier. 🙂

But, if there were more of these 'village' developments, it would encourage bicycling/walking to the local stores.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: Fausto1

Originally posted by: notfred
Fausto, you ever consider moving out of atlanta? You don't seem to like it very much, and there are other cities that are laid out much better for your active lifestyle.

What would I have to complain about then? 😀


Seriously: I'd love to move to CA or CO but it's not going to happen anytime soon. Both of us have jobs we like and mine happens to have very good benefits as well. Rather important as our family will be +1 in about a month. 😉

Yep, you go where the opportunity is. Why the fsck else would I be in bumfsck IL?

I moved to AL because it was a childhood dream of mine 🙂

That's what you get for idolizing Forrest Gump. 😛

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Living in the Boston area you can get along very well without a car as everything you need is well within walking distance and the Bus and Rail systems are very convenient.

Same in Halifax, NS. In Birmingham, however, you'd be dead in the water. Absolutely and utterly impossible to get around without a car.

Same in Ca, especially in Merced where the closest Convenience store to where I lived was 2 miles away.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: conjur

Originally posted by: SkoorbSprawling issues aside, people need to look to themselves for better health - not commisions.

Oh, I agree. I was just working on a tangent that was forming in the thread earlier. 🙂

But, if there were more of these 'village' developments, it would encourage bicycling/walking to the local stores.

True - and some would use it. But these sprawls are only making people 6 pounds heavier. Also, there are still plenty of fat people in boston and halifax, NS, so it's only really a small problem.

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: conjur

Originally posted by: SkoorbSprawling issues aside, people need to look to themselves for better health - not commisions.

Oh, I agree. I was just working on a tangent that was forming in the thread earlier. 🙂

But, if there were more of these 'village' developments, it would encourage bicycling/walking to the local stores.

True - and some would use it. But these sprawls are only making people 6 pounds heavier. Also, there are still plenty of fat people in boston and halifax, NS, so it's only really a small problem.

Actually it seems there are more obese people here in Boston per capita than were in the areas of California I lived. Maybe having a Duncan's Donuts and a Bar on every corner contributes to this along with the long winters🙂

 

[phantom309]

Americans are fat because they EAT TOO MUCH and they DON'T EXERCISE ENOUGH. It has nothing to do with "society", or the way our neighborhoods are laid out, or the fashion industry, or hormones.

All studies like this accomplish is giving another excuse. All over the country, bloated wealkings will whine: "But I CAAAAAN'T lose weight because my neighborhood made me faaaaat!", and then spend the rest of the day watching QVC while eating cake frosting with their hands.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: phantom309
Americans are fat because they EAT TOO MUCH and they DON'T EXERCISE ENOUGH. It has nothing to do with "society", or the way our neighborhoods are laid out, or the fashion industry, or hormones.

All studies like this accomplish is giving another excuse. All over the country, bloated wealkings will whine: "But I CAAAAAN'T lose weight because my neighborhood made me faaaaat!", and then spend the rest of the day watching QVC while eating cake frosting with their hands.

I agree with half of what you're saying. But "don't exersice" would be first in my opinion. The only reason we eat too much, is because it's easier to constantly munch when you are inactive. However, inactivity is the key here, not food or food habits.

Our lifestyles have come to surround sedentary activities like video games, the internet, and TV. Like I said in my earlier post, the only signifigant change in our lives that correlates with the explosion in obesity rates is popularity of cable/sat TV, video games and the internet.

 

[StageLeft]

Like I said in my earlier post, the only signifigant change in our lives that correlates with the explosion in obesity rates is popularity of cable/sat TV, video games and the internet.

But food portions ARE bigger and food is probably cheaper. Also I think fat content has gone down, so perhaps part of the problem is also "carb addiction". Really you can control weight with excercise or by eating less, or a combination of both. Weight problems can be addressed on the individual scale by addressing either or both of these.

 

[Fausto]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Like I said in my earlier post, the only signifigant change in our lives that correlates with the explosion in obesity rates is popularity of cable/sat TV, video games and the internet.

But food portions ARE bigger and food is probably cheaper. Also I think fat content has gone down, so perhaps part of the problem is also "carb addiction". Really you can control weight with excercise or by eating less, or a combination of both. Weight problems can be addressed on the individual scale by addressing either or both of these.

Seriously, look at me. I eat a lot and knock back my fair share of beer and maintain my weight without much fuss because I exercise. If I want to lose some weight, I just cut back on the naughty stuff for a few weeks. People who are sedentary have to be uber-careful about what they eat and then be completely psycho about it if they want to lose weight. I like my system better. 😉

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Like I said in my earlier post, the only signifigant change in our lives that correlates with the explosion in obesity rates is popularity of cable/sat TV, video games and the internet.

But food portions ARE bigger and food is probably cheaper. Also I think fat content has gone down, so perhaps part of the problem is also "carb addiction". Really you can control weight with excercise or by eating less, or a combination of both. Weight problems can be addressed on the individual scale by addressing either or both of these.

The available portions are moderately bigger, yet the selections are wide enough that you are not forced to get the bigger portions.

And if you saw how we ate as kids, you'd spend your days scratching your head trying to figure out why we were so damn skinny. The portions my mother fed us make the portions at resturants and fast food places look like tiny snacks.

Like I said before, you couldn't keep us in the house after school and during the summer. Activity is the key. Not only that, but you are FAR less likely to munch if you are active.

In my ever-so-humble opinion, it is not meal portions, but inactivity AND the resulting munching that is the key here.