Urban design key to healthy cities and healthy people - Vancouver

"75 per cent of factors that influence people’s health occur outside the healthcare system. An article in the Globe and Mail suggests that the key to getting Canadians healthier is to focus more on urban design and less on the notion that more money needs to be pumped into healthcare"

http://vancouver.openfile.ca/blog/curator-blog/curated-news/2011/why-vancouver-so-healthy-its-all-design

Original article

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/new-health/health-news/for-healthy-people-build-a-healthy-city/article2251518/page1/

Ingredients suggested

1. walking
2. cycling
3. parks - proximity is the key
4. healthy food stores - each grocery store within a kilometre of a person’s home reduces the likelihood of being overweight by 11 per cent.
5. dense pattern development (by North American standards)