Designing Out Obesity

An emerging design movement is trying to counteract obesity in American cities.

1 minute read

February 26, 2011, 5:00 AM PST

New design guidelines in New York City emphasize the concept of "active design".

"Active Design is the idea that we can design cities and buildings to encourage people to get more exercise. This is not about encouraging us to go to the gym and working out more, but instead, it's about giving citizens more of a workout through how we interact with our environment on a daily basis. This could include walking instead of driving, taking stairs instead of elevators, and creating parks and other interesting engaging environments to walk through. By attacking obesity through urban design and architecture, governments are beginning to realize that designers might be their best warriors in the battle against obesity and its costs."

Read the full story: A New Design Movement That Can Help Us Beat Obesity

Wednesday, February 23, 2011 in Fast Co. Design

Government / Politics Land Use Social / Demographics United States New York Urban Design Public Health New York City Obesity View More

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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.

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