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Study Shows Walkable Nieghborhoods Important To Health Of Elderly

Posted by: Nate Berg

15 June 2007 - 7:00am

Walkability has been shown to greatly improve the health and wellbeing of senior citizens. In response to recent studies on this issue, planners are looking to create walkable neighborhoods that encourage healthy habits for residents of all ages.

"Studies are starting to show a neighborhood's walkability — how well its streets connect and whether it has sidewalks, nearby shopping and welcoming public places — helps or hinders how well its residents age."

"The connection between environment and function in older adults is prompting collaborations across the country — among urban planners, university researchers, public-health officials and citizen activists. What's happening in the Puget Sound area is at the heart of the effort."

"'We've come to the conclusion if you build things so that people can live their whole lives in a place and still be active, then you don't have to retrofit and rebuild and start all over again,' said Rosemary Cunningham, strategic planning manager with the city of Seattle's Aging and Disability Services."

Full Story: Walkability helps older adults stay healthy, studies say
Source: The Seattle Times, June 13, 2007
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“
All of that only scratches the surface of what's wrong with this study. The idea that complex urban development patterns and human behavior can be meaningfully studied according to one primary criteria — density — is wrong from the start.
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