Smart
Growth and Children’s Health
How Connecticut’s current
development is hurting every community . . .
and why smarter growth may be the
answer.
created by
The CenterEdge Project
|
This fact
sheet is a brief summary of a translation paper on smart growth, part of a
series produced by the Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable
Communities. The full papers can be
found on the Funders’ Network website, www.fundersnetwork.org |
· Children are hurt by
current patterns of growth in both cities and suburbs across the United
States.
· The concentration of
lower-income families in cities with fewer resources makes it impossible for
cities to provide the essential services children need: education, health
care, and a safe environment to grow up in.
· At the same time,
families that move to suburban areas face a new set of challenges that can
negatively impact their children’s health, including pollution, loss of open
space, and traffic congestion.
· Street design in both
cities and suburbs that prioritizes ease of car travel endangers the safety
of children who are unable to walk or bike safely.
· In addition, worsening
air pollution due to increased automobile emissions can have an extremely
harmful impact on children’s health and has led to skyrocketing rates of
children’s asthma.
· Limited opportunities
for exercise has led to increased rates of childhood obesity and
attendant health problems for all children in all communities.
· Increased sprawl, poor
public transportation and increased traffic congestion require parents to
spend more and more time driving every day, limiting the time they can
spend with their families.
· The lack of safe and
accessible pedestrian walkways means young people have fewer opportunities to explore,
grow and become more independent.
· More children are
attending large schools outside of their neighborhoods, making it more
difficult for parents to be involved in their children’s education.
· Working to protect
the environments in which children live—the air they breathe, the streets
they walk on, and the open space they enjoy—is an essential part of ensuring
they grow up safely and happily.
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For more information about smart
growth, how it affects your community and what you can do, contact the
CenterEdge Project. Office of Urban Affairs, Archdiocese of
Hartford 81 Saltonstall Avenue New Haven , CT
06513-4356 Contact Patricia Wallace, 203-777-7279 or
Pwallace@oua-adh.org This fact sheet prepared by Jessica
Leight, Project Assistant to the CenterEdge Project. |