More livable communities are an Rx, but what makes them?
The Fabric of America Is Fraying -- the economic downturn hasn't helped
| We trim and append this 2007 article from the Denver Post of December 14, circulated by AlterNet and others. The writer is the coauthor of Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic and author of its sequel, Simple Prosperity: Finding Real Wealth in a Sustainable Lifestyle. |
By David Wann
We may lead the world in categories like gross domestic product, average house size, and ownership of color TVs, but we also "lead" the industrial nations in debt per capita, the child poverty rate, overall poverty rate, ratio of people in prison, rate of traffic fatalities, murder rate, carbon dioxide emissions per capita, and the per capita consumption of energy and water.Many of our economic and cultural priorities are out of step with what humans actually need. We're not taking care of what really matters.
Especially eye-opening is data compiled by John de Graaf, director of the non-profit Take Back Your Time.
The average American slurps 53 gallons of soft drinks every year, and now spends more in restaurants (many of the fast-food variety) than in grocery stores. In our fast-paced world, the emphasis is on convenience and shelf life rather than human life.
Americans also rank near the bottom among industrial nations in health per unit of food, spending the least for food (as a percentage of income) but the most for health care. In spite of these expenditures, we've fallen to 42nd place in the world for longevity, ranking below Guam and just above Albania. We're also 42nd in infant mortality but No. 1 in obesity, pumping 1 billion extra gallons of gas each year to carry the excess weight -- enough to fuel 1.7 million cars.
Americans are no longer the tallest population in the world; the Dutch are. In fact, most European populations are, on average, taller than the average American.
In America, the tax-subsidized quest for privacy and exclusivity often spins off unhealthy isolation. One-fourth of all Americans have no one they can confide in or celebrate with, and the inner circles of the rest have fallen from about three confidants to two.
Elevating social connections to a higher priority is literally a matter of life and death. In one study reported by Dr. Dean Ornish in his book "Love and Survival," men and women who were about to have open-heart surgery were asked two questions: "Do you draw strength from your religious faith?" and "Are you a member of a group of people who get together on a regular basis?" Those who said "no" to both questions were dead within six months, compared to only 3 percent of those who said "yes" to both questions.
Another primordial human need is connection with nature. When people view slides of nature, their blood pressure counts fall. Hospital patients with a view of trees go home sooner than those whose view is a brick wall. When people with ADHD spend time in nature, the results are often as effective as Ritalin.
Yet Americans are increasingly creatures of the great indoors, or else we're stranded in sterilized, overly manicured landscapes. For example, some geometric, asphalted school playgrounds in America now display signs that say, "No running!" The design of playgrounds often excludes the rough, green edges of nature where kids love to play; instead the aim is to minimize liability, reduce maintenance, and improve surveillance.
How can we make political and cultural space for our most critical needs? To give a few examples, one Wisconsin school dramatically reduced vandalism and violence by simply taking out the pop machines and replacing cafeteria fast foods like pizza and burgers with salad bars, fruits and vegetables.
A new way of thinking about what we do with our time is resulting in more outdoor labs at schools, job-sharing opportunities, and bike lanes in our communities.
We're beginning to carefully examine the value we get for the huge amounts of money we spend, and owe.
JJS: Want to rebuild neighborhoods to help residents create social networks of trust and support and at the same time preserve habitat? Try what works. Recover and share the community-created value of land. Shift taxes off buildings (and later off business and income), and instead collect the rental value of locations. Use that public revenue on democratic programs that benefit everyone, including a dividend to residents.
Having to pay land dues (or land taxes), owners don’t speculate but put and keep sites at highest and best use, which yields livable neighborhoods. Getting an equitable share fosters a sense of identity and belonging. And it lets people take the time off needed to live the lives they want.
---------------------
Jeffery J. Smith runs the Forum on Geonomics.
|
Also see: Why your happiness matters to the planet
Silence
Popular Ownership of the Commons |
| Email this article | Sign up for free Progress Report updates via email |
What are your views? Share your opinions with The Progress Report:
| Page One | Page Two | Archive |
| Discussion Room | Letters | What's Geoism? |
