A Healthy Lifestyle is Afoot in Amsterdam

I am in Amsterdam for a few days before my Eisenhower Fellowship begins in Bonn.  The first thing one is struck by is the incredible number of bicycles.  In fact, if you're not careful, you will literally be struck by a bicycle.

Throughout most of the city, bikes have their own thoroughfares adjacent to the traffic lanes for cars.  These are not like the bike lanes in the States, where usually you just have a white bicycle stenciled on the pavement and, viola, a bike lane. No, these are honest-to-goodness traffic lanes for bicycles and motorcycles.  In the main part of the city, the interior lanes are reserved for public transit, including the GVB trams which have a Disney monorail feel to them and, for  a low price, will get you close to most places. Finally, pedestrians have their own sidewalk, but it runs immediately parallel to the bike lanes, so walker beware.

In the U.S. we have a major obesity problem. It's the result of lots of factors, not the least of which are portion sizes and a penchant for fried, fast, and fried fast foods.  But there is also the contributing factor of living in spaces that devalue physical exercise.  Most of us - certainly those who are urban dwellers - live in areas that privilege the automobile.  If we decide to go to the local Starbucks for a coffee, all most all of us will choose to get in our car and drive there (only 1.0% of all trips taken in the U.S. are by bicycle, and 10.4% are on foot).  Not so in Amsterdam. You'd almost  certainly walk or ride your bike, which helps take the caloric edge off of that double chocolate frappucino.

As we look to combat obesity, which now affects over 35% of all Americans and costs us upwards of $200 billion per year, we need to look to solutions beyond the medicinal. Investing in cityscapes that make it easier - if not outright incentivize - the use of bicycles and our own two feet for transportation will have a huge return.  It can improve health, save on medical and energy costs, reduce pollution, and generally create a more livable environment. 

This is already backed by data.  Levels of diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity are all lower in cities

with higher shares of commuters bicycling or walking to work. Likewise, where commuters bicycle or walk to work in higher shares, more of the population is meeting the recommended amount of weekly physical activity.   Stats also show a positive impact on job growth, individual transportation costs, retail sales, traffic congestion, air quality, property values and stability, health and worker productivity, and events and tourism.

The Alliance for Biking and Walking has a very robust report on current efforts to make city spaces that help us be healthy.