“Over 68 percent of American adults are now overweight or obese, a percentage that has more than doubled since 1960. One in three children is overweight or obese, triple the number from a generation ago” (Benfield 2014). Researchers have questioned how the pattern of a street layout may be the cause for lack of walking and an increase in obesity and health related issues. In the article How Walkable Communities Are Good for Us by Kaid Benfield, he states that “The research examines different aspects of compact, walkable and mixed-use communities and compares those aspects to published government health data, finds that such neighborhoods and cities are strongly associated with reduced rates of obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes”. (Is this
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I do not deny that having more accessible roads to get places around the community will increase health conditions, but on the other hand, I believe that there are many other factors that weigh into this issue than just the lack of walking. I say this because nowadays using cars, buses, and trains are more convenient and reliable, it is more suitable to take a form of transportation because people may have to walk long distances in order to get to school, work or other places. Benfield asserts, “I’m certainly not going to argue that land use, and resulting automobile dependence, are the only reasons for overweight and obesity in the US, or even the only reasons why we now fail to get enough exercise” (Benfield 2014). The author recognized that there are more contributing factors to health issues than just how much a person walks and how having a walkable community might help with the health issues. Benfield is correct when arguing that there are more factors that relate to people not having enough exercise. I acknowledge the fact that he takes into consideration how there are other causes of obesity and health issues than just the lack of
I do not deny that having more accessible roads to get places around the community will increase health conditions, but on the other hand, I believe that there are many other factors that weigh into this issue than just the lack of walking. I say this because nowadays using cars, buses, and trains are more convenient and reliable, it is more suitable to take a form of transportation because people may have to walk long distances in order to get to school, work or other places. Benfield asserts, “I’m certainly not going to argue that land use, and resulting automobile dependence, are the only reasons for overweight and obesity in the US, or even the only reasons why we now fail to get enough exercise” (Benfield 2014). The author recognized that there are more contributing factors to health issues than just how much a person walks and how having a walkable community might help with the health issues. Benfield is correct when arguing that there are more factors that relate to people not having enough exercise. I acknowledge the fact that he takes into consideration how there are other causes of obesity and health issues than just the lack of