Can Developers Help Limit Obesity?

Should new communities can be designed to help encourage children to spend more time outdoors in physical activities?

1 minute read

August 2, 2006, 7:00 AM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"Generating some controversy a couple of years ago by suggesting that new housing developments are contributing to the nation’s obesity problem by discouraging walking, Richard Jackson, M.D., made an appearance at last month’s PCBC in San Francisco to tell builders that they can make a difference in improving the health of their residents, especially children.

One in four American children today is obese and at risk of related health problems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Guide to Community Preventive Services, and Jackson said this problem can be tackled just as lead poisoning was addressed when it was the biggest environmental health threat facing children up through the 1990s.

...More closely related to development, Jackson said that incidental exercise has been removed from the environment, and many children no longer have much opportunity to walk."

Thanks to Nation's Building News Newsletter

Monday, July 31, 2006 in Nation's Building News

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 18, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of Shirley Chisholm Village four-story housing development with person biking in front.

San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning

SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.

June 8, 2025 - Fast Company

Woman and young girl looking at subway map, woman pointing.

Can We Please Give Communities the Design They Deserve?

Often an afterthought, graphic design impacts everything from how we navigate a city to how we feel about it. One designer argues: the people deserve better.

June 9, 2025 - John Pobojewski

Map of EV charging ports in rural U.S. communities.

The EV “Charging Divide” Plaguing Rural America

With “the deck stacked” against rural areas, will the great electric American road trip ever be a reality?

June 20 - The Daily Yonder

Google street view of Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn with pedestrians crossing a crosswalk and cyclist in the bike lane.

Judge Halts Brooklyn Bike Lane Removal

Lawyers must prove the city was not acting “arbitrarily, capriciously, and illegally” in ordering the hasty removal.

June 20 - StreetsBlog NYC

Close-up of cracked and damaged two-lane roadway with double yellow stripes on a bright sunny day.

Engineers Gave America's Roads an Almost Failing Grade — Why Aren't We Fixing Them?

With over a trillion dollars spent on roads that are still falling apart, advocates propose a new “fix it first” framework.

June 19 - Transportation for America