Some move to less pedestrian-friendly areas because of concerns about crime or schools, Frank said.Leinberger notes that some people can't afford housing in walkable neighborhoods, where homes can cost up to three times as much as similar housing in non-walkable areas.David Goldberg, a 44-year-old Decatur, Ga., resident who participated in the survey, has lived in both environments. Twenty-three percent of them were exercisers living in places more conducive to driving than walking.The researchers also noted that sometimes people don't end up living where they want. The results, which are being published this fall in a peer-reviewed journal, Social Science & Medicine, are based on responses from 1,432 people. Exercisers in walkable neighborhoods drove 26 miles a day, while those in non-walkable neighborhoods drove about 37 miles.Among non-exercisers, those in walkable neighborhoods drove 26 miles, and compared to 43 miles in areas that were mostly car-friendly."Walking and driving really change a lot in different neighborhood types, regardless of people's preferences," Frank said.The study is based on detailed surveys done in the 13-county Atlanta region in 2001-02. It was 12 percent for those in walkable areas versus 15 percent in non-walkable neighborhoods, a difference that was not statistically significant.Among those who prefer to drive, however, about 21.5 percent were obese, and it also didn't matter whether they lived in walkable or non-walkable neighborhoods.The distances driven were also noted. The research showed that exercisers had a similarly low obesity rate whether they lived in walkable neighborhoods or not. Many are older neighborhoods, located in more urban areas.Frank is among a group of scientists who have shown that people who live in walkable neighborhoods tend to weigh less than people who live in more isolated and car-dependent areas."He's the first one to make a connection between land use and obesity," said Christopher Leinberger, director of the University of Michigan's real estate program.Frank's current study examined whether a community's walkability affected obesity rates. They are built in a way that makes it easier to walk and get to buses and trains. Go on vacation, or have a barbecue.Nearly one in four people in the Atlanta area are exercise enthusiasts stuck in neighborhoods without sidewalks or other walking amenities, according to a study that illustrates a problem for many Americans.Researchers said the findings point to the need for more exercise-friendly places to live."The bottom line is the built environment really does matter to health," said Lawrence Frank, a University of British Columbia researcher who led the study.Walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods have sidewalks leading to nearby shops, restaurants or other destinations. If you don't want to walk anywhere, the mayor has two other suggestions. Where does your own area fall on the roster? And will you be not-driving, whatever that may mean, during Carmageddon?Īnd when you think of Missing Persons' claim that "nobody walks in LA," do you think of that scene in "LA Story" where Steve Martin drives his car three houses down to go see his friend? We do. (We appreciate that some will ask "but how will people get to those neighborhoods they want to walk?" Hi, Metro.)
Making the top spot as the most strollable area in all of LosAngelesdom? Why downtown, of course. Feel like trying a few of our most walkable neighborhoods over the July 16-17 weekend? Walk Score has a list. It's an event that proves a person can indeed strut across several SoCal-y miles and enjoy doing so.īut back to those spurts. Kudos though to Mike Schneider at Franklin Avenue for taking that slightly wrong-headed assumption on every year during his great Great Los Angeles Walk. LA is actually quite walkable, but the key is that it is walkable in spurts.Ĭorrect? It's probably not really a good idea to try to cover our metropolis in one stretch. Wags elsewhere might claim such a rebellious act to be impossible 'round these parts, but of course we know better.
We've been implored to do some more walking over the weekend (read: less driving). How could some cagey radio host not play it, several times, in the days ahead of the mega closure of the 405 freeway on Saturday, July 16 and Sunday, July 17? We'll wager it'll be on heavy rotation at several stations and clubs.
One gets the sense that the great Missing Persons ditty "Walking in LA" is about to have a small and much-deserved renaissance nearly 30 years after its release.