Pedestrian-friendly neighbourhoods correlate with better health outcomes

Tags: Health Design

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Public Health found that neighbourhoods that included pedestrian-friendly features like sidewalks and crosswalks correlated with reductions in obesity and high blood pressure; neighbourhoods with more road signs and street lights correlated with lower prevalence of high cholesterol, cancer, depression, and smoking. The researchers believe that pedestrian-friendly neighbourhood design encourages active lifestyles and lowers stress and anxiety.

  • See Design environments to facilitate desired behavioursDesign environments to facilitate desired behaviours
    Tags: [[Change Management]] [[Human Behaviour]] [[Habits]] [[Human Behaviour]]

    Willpower is unreliable when it comes to adopting new behaviours or actions. However, willpower can be supplemented i...
    . Environments typically include affordances that nudge us toward some behaviours and away from others, whether consciously designed that way or not.

However, the study does not account for the relationship between living in such neighbourhoods and other socioeconomic factors.

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