KC rated as one of America's "fattest cities" (for sale, house)

[OneKC]

Originally Posted by hipsterpenumbra

Has anyone ever noticed when traveling, when you land in several midwest cities, you can actually see the increase of overweight people.

Our communities are designed for cars, in europe, or U.S. cities where people are not known for being fat, they don't drive EVERYWHERE.

If we really wanted to push for healthier, "thinner" people in our area we need to design cities, communities that have small businesses, like groceries etc. with in walking distance.

In the 1950's Super Markets were rare, In Europe the Super Market is a new concept with in the last 15 years.
It's hard to change our ways, it's not just a matter of changing our personal habits. The reason we are fat can be traced to the way our cities are planned, and where MCDonalds are placed and so on.

You and I are going to get along famously. I agree 1000%.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by OneKC

You and I are going to get along famously. I agree 1000%.

I agree with those reasons, but you also have to factor in the types of food people eat in the Midwest and South. I'm amazed at the horrible food people eat in the South... red meat and fried food daily. Whenever I'd travel for work to Dallas, I'd go out to eat with people from the office and they'd make fun of me for eating salad, or no meat. Seriously? It's socially acceptable to make fun of someone for eating healthy? There's a big part of the problem.

I think the Midwest is better by far than the South, but living in the "thin city" of Denver, I do notice more obese people in KC, but way more noticeable in Texas. I hear in Mississippi that thin people are the minority.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by CrownVic95

Well, you can call it a "lifestyle choice" or try to sugar-coat it in whatever way you choose, but the fact is that there are weeks on end in the summer there where it is never comfortable until well after sundown. And I remember my morning routine was my glasses completely fogging within seconds of leaving the air conditioned house at 7:00 AM - and staying that way until I got the A/C going in my car.

Perhaps, since you are a lifelongMOgal, you are so accustomed to summer misery that your comfort threshold is significantly different from those of us who have spent a great deal of time in the West. Golf or cycling on KC mornings or evenings in July or August is still misery - just not as much of it as in the afternoons.

I agree that KC isn't conducive to being outdoors very often. Last time I was there was in Summer and I went for my daily 2 mile walk at 7 a.m. and was just miserable. Not to mention there were no sidewalks near my motel in Lenexa to walk down, the streets were like a rat maze (residential area built up in the '70s) and it was like walking in a ghost town with no people out and about. People probably thought I was nuts, or my car broke down to be out walking.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by Samantha S

Tonight I spent 3 and a half hours in the car, picking up and dropping off kids at various activities (don't I lead an exciting life? ) and it occurred to me: In Chicago, the yards, if you had any at all, were very small. Making neighborhood parks a necessity for kids to play and neighbors to hang out.

In JoCo, and other suburbs around KC, many more homes have much more greenspace around them and in between. Kids congregate in their backyards and have plenty of space to do so, and many even have their own swingsets, trampolines etc. Who needs a trail to walk, run or bike on when the neighborhoods themselves are ideal for this?

I wonder if maybe this is the reason for fewer public parks and maybe why we don't seem to miss them much.

<shrug>

Where I live in Denver we have very small lots, small back yards only good for a nice patio, small garden, and a little grass. The only grass in front of the house is between the sidewalk and street. BUT, we have a park directly across the street, and we can walk to 3 other parks within 4 or 5 blocks of our house. I love it because it's very walkable, and I don't have to waste time and money keeping up a big lawn. My kids get to socialize with lots of other kids at the playgrounds while I socialize with other parents. You couldn't pay me to live on a cul-de-sac in the suburbs with a big lawn and back yard ever again.

[kcmo]

I would much rather live across from usable (key word is useable) open/public space than have a large yard that I hate having to maintain. But I think what you have there in Denver is quite rare. We spent weeks looking at townhouses and single families (with smaller lots) and few of them have true useable park space within blocks, even in brand new master planned communities. I think our urban planners and city planners are still having a difficult time fully grasping this concept.

[luzianne]

Originally Posted by OneKC

Most will continue to do it the same way, but there are always going to be those that try something different. You can see that in true free markets all the time. Everyone makes a product the same way until someone else tries something different that everyone loves. Unfortunately, the real estate market is hampered by zoning regulations and tax incentives that steer development towards the big lot, single family housing in sprawled areas.

Johnson County has not really undertaken any big move towards denser communities. Throwing up a townhouse in a sprawled area and getting no takers (in a bad housing market) does not mean there is no market for this. Maybe you're right, maybe there is no market - but lets find out? And all it costs is removing some regs and tax subsidies.

With an aging community that won't be able to drive, and a younger community with changing tastes that much prefers an urban lifestyle, I think Johnson County needs to get ahead of the curve in North JoCo and develop some serious dense communities. Mission and the Vision Metcalf project may do that, we shall see, but if they don't I think JoCo is going to miss out on a big opportunity.

Is there a Vision Metcalf? OR did you mean Village Vision 75 (for 75th street in Prairie Village?). I'm actually kind of excited about Village Vision. The plans show condos built on the corner of Somerset and 83rd (where Bank of America is now - which just closed last Friday). And then shops all in that area with green space and outdoor seating/tables and apartments above the shops. It sounds kind of cool to me. Also, part of the plan is to make Prairie Village more walkable.

[luzianne]

Originally Posted by kcmo

I would much rather live across from usable (key word is useable) open/public space than have a large yard that I hate having to maintain. .

But some people enjoy maintaining a large yard. It's good exercise and a "hobby" that you can take pride in.

[luzianne]

What's it called when houses are built in an oval with the front of the houses to the street and the back all green space, like a big community back yard? We rented a house in Kissimmee, Florida for a week once and that's how it was set up. I thought that was a pretty good idea, as people could let their kids out to play and the green space was fully visible from every house, and it was a pretty big area of green space. I can see that being a huge advantage if you had say grade school age kids. I've never seen that anywhere else.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by kcmo

I would much rather live across from usable (key word is useable) open/public space than have a large yard that I hate having to maintain. But I think what you have there in Denver is quite rare. We spent weeks looking at townhouses and single families (with smaller lots) and few of them have true useable park space within blocks, even in brand new master planned communities. I think our urban planners and city planners are still having a difficult time fully grasping this concept.

We live in Stapleton (new community) and there are parks everywhere. I don't think you could live more than a couple blocks from a park here! A lot of the older neighborhoods have large parks, (Washington Park, Cheeseman Park, City Park) but not as many little parks scattered around. I couldn't really say about the suburbs of Denver as I rarely enter them.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by luzianne

But some people enjoy maintaining a large yard. It's good exercise and a "hobby" that you can take pride in.

I grew up in Overland Park and we had a large front and large back yard. The only time anyone ever "used" either one was when I mowed them, swatting bugs and sweating like a pig. No thanks! A negative in Denver for large lawns is that it's so dry here, you have to water them, and that gets expensive.