Physical Activity in the US Essay -- Social Issues, Transportation

The level of the populations level of sensible activity is becoming a major public health contact in the United States (Wahlgren, 2011). As a result of urban sprawl, Americans bank heavily on private vehicles to travel to work or another(prenominal) destinations. This is leading to a sedentary tone style for the public as they take to their cars to travel to their destination. The publics perception of the environments in which they hot in ar likely influencing their behaviors resulting in their dependance on personal vehicles. (Wahlgren, 2011). The physical environment and peoples levels of physical activity ar directly connected. pocket-sized density zoning and auto-dependent schooling is resulting in the promotion of sedentary life styles. Most activities, like commuting to work or shopping, requires the use of a personal vehicle because of the areas isolation in residential zones and commercial zones (Ewing, 2010). Alternative modes like walking or bicycling are rather impractical, as the areas often have little to no sidewalks or other pedestrian friendly amenities (Marshall, 2009). The Low density fancy is developed because residential homes have fewer units per acre and commercial buildings pitch to yet be a couple of stories and spaced further apart. The sizes of lots tend to be bigger to accommodate large parking lots that are often oversized and unsafe for pedestrians. An effort to combat the continual development of urban sprawl, wise(p) growth development looks to solve this dilemma. The idea of smart growth concentrates its development around compact walkable centers within urban areas. The design of this is to avoid the growing sprawl through the implementation of walkable, bicycle-friendly and alternative merchant marine like b... ...uate personal motivation, however it is an issue that involves social and physical obstacles that essential be overcome as well (Steinman, 2010). Environments that enhance walkability are typically associated with greater pedestrian traffic and lower body mass advocator (BMI). Neighborhood safety and traffic volumes and road speeds have been identified in the ACRES and other studies as determinants to a walk able area (Steinman, 2010, Wahlgren, 2011). Urban planners can address these issue in several various ways. Placing sidewalks and lighting to clearly guide pedestrians and creating visibility with canopy trees can get safe inviting spaces. Addressing volume and speed on roadways can be address by introducing sidewalk bulbs, roundabout and buffers between sidewalks and streets through the use of landscaping (Wahlgren, 2011, Dumbaugh, 2011, Frumkin, 2002).