Get this city moving
The rates of obesity in this country and around the world are amongst the most pressing health issues faced in the first world.
Some cities are taking the bull by the horns and making meaningful change to really tackle the issue.
Oklahoma is having a makeover.
Having worked on a very public weight loss plan for the city (see ‘This city is going on a diet’ http://www.thiscityisgoingonadiet.com/) with great success – 47,000 people lost over 1 million pounds having been educated on better eating and exercise habits – the mayor wants to go further to keep the weight off.
The car-centric city will have a new master zoning plan, which will ensure public health is considered when making zoning decisions. The policy is being backed with some investment in change also, with a new 70 acre park to link the CBD to the Oklahoma River. There will also be new jogging, walking and bike trails, gyms in schools, and sidewalks which are more conducive to pedestrians.
It won’t happen tomorrow, but it’s a strong integrated plan of action to help Oklahoma’s people get fit and healthy if they want to engage.
Much closer to home, we’ve had a recent example in regional Victoria. With the help of a commercial TV program the local community – one of the most obese in Australia – collectively worked to lose a lot of weight and adopt healthy lifestyles.
But it’s so easy to go back to the bad old ways if there are barriers to exercise and incorporating movement in your day to day life.
Ararat Rural City Council has also jumped on board. Earlier this year they launched their Ararat Active City campaign to encourage a complete change of lifestyle for their 8000 residents, following on from their involvement in the Biggest Loser. While their focus is on continuing the exercise that helped their people drop dramatic amounts of weight, they are also looking at what encourages people to exercise in the surrounding environment.
We’ve seen some great ideas for increasing physical activity in cities in recent editions of Plantastic:
What are some of the great urban design ideas you’ve seen to get people active and moving on the city streets?
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Banner image source: freestockphotos.name
Some cities are taking the bull by the horns and making meaningful change to really tackle the issue.
Oklahoma is having a makeover.
Having worked on a very public weight loss plan for the city (see ‘This city is going on a diet’ http://www.thiscityisgoingonadiet.com/) with great success – 47,000 people lost over 1 million pounds having been educated on better eating and exercise habits – the mayor wants to go further to keep the weight off.
The car-centric city will have a new master zoning plan, which will ensure public health is considered when making zoning decisions. The policy is being backed with some investment in change also, with a new 70 acre park to link the CBD to the Oklahoma River. There will also be new jogging, walking and bike trails, gyms in schools, and sidewalks which are more conducive to pedestrians.
It won’t happen tomorrow, but it’s a strong integrated plan of action to help Oklahoma’s people get fit and healthy if they want to engage.
Much closer to home, we’ve had a recent example in regional Victoria. With the help of a commercial TV program the local community – one of the most obese in Australia – collectively worked to lose a lot of weight and adopt healthy lifestyles.
But it’s so easy to go back to the bad old ways if there are barriers to exercise and incorporating movement in your day to day life.
Ararat Rural City Council has also jumped on board. Earlier this year they launched their Ararat Active City campaign to encourage a complete change of lifestyle for their 8000 residents, following on from their involvement in the Biggest Loser. While their focus is on continuing the exercise that helped their people drop dramatic amounts of weight, they are also looking at what encourages people to exercise in the surrounding environment.
We’ve seen some great ideas for increasing physical activity in cities in recent editions of Plantastic:
- The Scotch Hoppers and other ideas for games in the street in Glasgow. http://dla-plantastic.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/places-for-playing-games.htm
- Ping Pong activation in Melbourne and Perth. http://dla-plantastic.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/ping-pong-activation.html
- Melbourne’s Walking Plan http://dla-plantastic.blogspot.com.au/2014/07/enough-with-bikes-what-about-walking.html
- WalkUps in US cities http://dla-plantastic.blogspot.com.au/2014/07/these-boots-were-made-for-walking.html
What are some of the great urban design ideas you’ve seen to get people active and moving on the city streets?
Banner image source: freestockphotos.name
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