(NAPSA)—Americais facing an obesity epidemic. According to the American Heart Association, up to 12 percent of all deaths can be blamed on a lack of regular physical activity. Fortunately, help is on the way from a source that may surprise you—landscapearchitects. “Years ago, we all walked to school, to the store, to the park or to a friend’s house. Today, we are often unable to walk anywhere safely because many communities are designed only for car travel,” said Patrick A. Miller, Ph.D., FASLA,president of the American Society of Landscape Architects. According to Miller, physical activity has been engineered out of our daily lives: The places where we live and work do not encourage walking andbiking. The average American walks only about 400 yards per day— less than five city blocks. In the last 25 years, children’s walkingtrips to school have declined 60 percent. Three-year-olds spend about 79 percent of their time in sedentary behavior—often watching television—and only about 20 minutes a day in moderate or vigorousactive play. Communities can be designed for active living. Landscape architects working with public officials, developers and owners can advocate for more active living components—parks, recreational facili- ties, bicycle paths, walkingtrails, and sidewalks. Creating or improving access to places for physical activity can result in a 25 percent increase in the numberof people who exercise je VR ee a a Families enjoy walking together along the ASLA award-winning project, Eastbank Esplanade in Portland, Oregon, designed by Mayer/Reed.(Bruce Forster Photography). at least three times a week, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Studies show that access to resources such as parks, recreational facilities, bicycle paths, walking trails, and sidewalks can increase physical activity among residents, lowering obesity and improving health. “As landscape architects, working hard with developers and public officials, we can design active living components back into our communities,” said Miller. The ASLA has declared April as National Landscape Architecture Month. The theme—Design for Active Living—highlights ways community design affects residents’ daily activity levels and, in turn, their overall health. ASLA chapters will work with students to assess safe walking and biking routes between their school and home, issuing “report cards” on their communities. You can visit www.asla.org to find out whatactivities are planned.
