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CDC Finds Asthma, Obesity, And Other Illnesses Increase With Sprawl
A new report from the federal Centers for Disease Control (co-published with Sprawlwatch Clearinghouse) linked sprawling development to a wide range of public health problems. The report focused on our built environment -- what we build, and how and where we build it -- as contributing factors to respiratory disease, obesity, pedestrian fatalities, water pollution, and other problems.
Did you know:
The average American driver spends 443 hours per year behind the wheel, the equivalent of 55 eight-hour work days, or eleven work weeks. If you've ever been stuck in traffic (who hasn't?), you know the effects this can have on your blood pressure and stress levels. In 1996, Atlanta area authorities implemented traffic reduction plans for the summer Olympics. As a result, weekday morning traffic counts decreased by 22.5 percent, and asthma emergency medical events decreased by 41.6 percent. Non-asthma medical events did not drop during the same period. The amount of stormwater washing off a one-acre parking lot is 16 times greater than that of a comparable-size grassy area. More than 50 percent of waterborne disease outbreaks from 1948 to 1994 were preceded by extreme rainfall events. Three out of five disabled and elderly residents of Houston, Texas have no sidewalk between their residences and the nearest bus stop.
You can read about the study on the Sprawlwatch website, or download a full copy here.
The Sierra Club believes we should:
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