Healthy Cities for Healthy Bodies

If you like to cycle around town you may be familiar with the following dilemma:

The bike lane just ended abruptly.

Do you A) ride on the sidewalk, bobbing over cracked concrete, ducking wayward branches and swerving around obstacles?

Or B) ride on the street, hoping that an inattentive driver won’t smash into you?

Cycling or walking to nearby destinations is a great way to incorporate exercise into our lives and conserve fuel, yet our cities are laid out in a way that encourages use of the car. Well two organizations are working to change that.

The Congress for the New Urbanism is a nonprofit advocacy group which works with urban planners and developers to create walkable, vibrant cities. The organization was recently enlisted by the state of Mississippi to aid in post-Katrina rebuilding efforts.

Critical Mass is a monthly group bike ride that has been taking place in multiple cities around the world since 1992. Criticized for causing congestion on the streets, Critical Massers say, "We aren't blocking traffic; we are traffic."


(reposted from the Ohmtastic Quarterly Newsletter)