Kevin Krizek argues why 'you can take the family out of the suburbs but you can't take reliance on the Chevy Suburban out of the family.'
Kevin Krizek, assistant professor of urban and regional planning at the University of Minnesota, cautions "that the relative magnitude of the independent effect of urban design on physical activity may be marginalized less significant once other issues are accounted for." He give reasons for why urban design interventions may not be sufficient for changing households into adopting healthier behaviors. He writes: "Other factors have equal if not greater importance and thus the 'healthy' inquiry into more complex causal links lives on."He concludes that designing a healthy city is a complex matter, and stresses the importance of calling on policymakers "to construct more informed policies about our built environment."
Thanks to Connie Chung
Read the full story: The Complex Role of Urban Design and Theoretical Models of Physical Activity
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge
A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion
Proposition 1 will double the city’s transit tax to add 95,000 more bus trips and preserve 180,000 bus trips annually.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority