Sprawling Development = Sprawling Waistlines

Public Health officials from around the country have been increasingly turning to how the build environment affects public health and specifically the obesity epidemic. A new study that was recently covered in the Seattle Times published in JAPA comprise the most compelling evidence that our physical environmental conditions affect our health. "The King County results suggest 'current laws and regulations are producing negative health outcomes,' the authors warn."

The chance to create places that encourage public health is one of the key impetuses to the Open Space Seattle 2100 project. "The whole idea is to make walking something you don't even think about," [senior policy analyst Karen Wolf of Ron Sims' office] said. "It's part of your everyday life."