Planning as a public health issue

The way we plan and design urban environments can have a profound effect on the long-term health of citizens. The tendency to build extensive housing estates with few community facilities and local destinations, long distances to public transport, and almost total reliance on the motorcar means not only social isolation and the alienation of young people, but also unhealthy car-dominated, physically inactive lifestyles. In a recent study of more than 200,000 people in the USA it was found that people living in the most spread out suburbs spend less time each month walking, and weigh about 2.7 kilograms on average more than people who live in the more densely populated neighbourhoods.