Cascadia Scorecard News
April 2005

Taking steps toward health
By Leigh Sims

I live in a fairly compact Seattle neighborhood where it takes longer to find a parking space than it does to walk to the store, wait in line, and walk back. I walk because it's more convenient to do so, and as a result I know my neighbors, I stay slim, and avoid parking headaches.

Oh, if we could all live in wonderful neighborhoods like this one, where walking is made easy. Recent studies show that living in a walkable neighborhood-one where stores, work, and schools are intermingled with homes-improves our physical and mental wellbeing.

The Northwest has been slowly taking key steps toward curbing sprawl and designing neighborhoods to be compact and walkable. Local residents that are excited about making their communities more walkable can also help smooth the way for change.

Here are a few health facts to help you talk about the advantages of compact, walkable communities to politicians, friends, family, and anyone you walk by in the street:

• People who live in the most-walkable neighborhoods are 2.4 times as likely to walk for 30 minutes or more than those who lived in the least-walkable communities. 1

• Those who spend more time in their cars are more likely to be obese, compared with those who walk. And residents of sprawling suburbs, who are more dependent on cars to get around, are at a higher risk of heart disease than city-dwellers, who walk and bike more frequently as a form of transportation. 2

• Just 15 percent of personal trips in the US are to and from work. Well-planned community design with a good mix of homes, stores, and schools could do more to reduce the amount of time we spend in traffic than highway projects aimed at speeding up work commutes. 3

• And shortening commutes would give us more time for other pursuits. The typical American worker spends about 100 hours--just over 4 full days--commuting to work each year. That's 20 hours more than typical paid vacation time. 4

• All that commuting (and driving to the store, dentist, and gym) leaves less time and opportunity for connecting with family and friends; and social connectedness is an excellent predictor of health, particularly as people age. Some research suggests that a lack of social ties can increase the risk of death nearly as much as smoking or obesity. 5

Living in a compact community is a smart thing to do for your own health. For the health of your community, support walkable neighborhoods by encouraging local government, neighbors, and others to make the right choices in transportation planning and community design.

More resources:
Sightline's transportation and sprawl reforms
Sightline's sprawl indicator
Why we love bikes

Feet First
Bicycle Alliance of Washington
Bicycle Transportation Alliance of Oregon
1000 Friends of Oregon
Futurewise (Washington)
Idaho Smart Growth
Smart Growth BC

Sources:
1. Driving and Walking Where you Live: Links to Obesity (pdf).

2. The Cost of Physical Inactivity in Halifax Regional Municipality, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Nova Scotia (pdf).

3. Highlights of the 2001 National Household Travel Survey, US Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

4. Press release: Americans Spend More Than 100 Hours Commuting to Work Each Year, US Census Bureau.

5. Cascadia Scorecard 2004: Seven Key Trends Shaping the Northwest, Health indicator.

More information

Top ten walking-friendly cities in the US

The Daily Score articles:

Walkable cities

Driving trips

Commuting time