Its authors said their findings should encourage politicians to promote the benefits of built-up city living. Sarkar, assistant professor at UHK, said policies and planning needed to catch up with the data, rather than relying on urban myths about what makes cities work. Suburban areas with few homes – often privileged communities with big gardens and open spaces – were healthier than this but lagged behind the most densely populated areas in inner cities. Walking made the biggest difference, said Sarkar, and social interaction and physical activity thrived best in compact communities. In January the government announced it would build 17 new towns and villages across the countryside in a bid to ease a chronic housing shortage.

Source: The Guardian October 06, 2017 00:11 UTC