Smart Growth Key To British Columbians' Health Advantage

British Columbians live an average of two years longer than residents of the Pacific Northwest states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, and one key factor may be its record of containing sprawl. That's according to Cascadia Scorecard 2006: Focus on Sprawl and Health, an annual progress report on the Pacific Northwest released by Sightline Institute (formerly Northwest Environment Watch).

The Scorecard reports that residents of low-density, residential-only sprawling communities are more likely to die in car collisions and are more likely to be obese, which increases the risk of many chronic diseases. British Columbia -— which has the region's most-compact, walkable cities —- has about half the obesity rate of the Northwest states and a one-third lower fatality rate from car crashes.