Sprawl and Health

Jacobsen 2003 - “Safety in Numbers: More Walkers and Bicyclists, Safer Walking and Bicycling”

Jacobsen, Peter Lyndon
“Safety in Numbers: More Walkers and Bicyclists, Safer Walking and Bicycling”
Injury Prevention
September 2003; v.9,n.1; pp.205-209.
One the Web
Relevance: high

Jacobsen analyzed various datasets from Europe and California to compare accident rates per capita across differing rates of walking/biking.  He found that as the rates of walking/biking increase, the total number of accidents increases as expected, but the likelihood that an individual pedestrian or cyclist will be hit by a car decreases.

Leyden 2003 - "Social Capital and the Built Environment: The Importance of Walkable Neighborhoods"

Leyden, Kevin M.
“Social Capital and the Built Environment: The Importance of Walkable Neighborhoods” American Journal of Public Health
September 2003; v.93, n.9; pp. 1546-1551.
On the web
Relevance: high

Leyden investigated the relationship between neighborhood design and residents' social capital using a household survey in Galway, Ireland.  People who lived in walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods had higher levels of social capital, and were more likely to know their neighbors, participate politically, trust others, and be socially engaged, than those who lived in car-oriented suburbs.