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Let’s be blunt about it. This is a tough week. No matter where you land on the political spectrum there’s uncertainty, anxiety, a growing sense of division -- even the uncomfortable recognition that millions of people do not share your values. It’s a banner week for pessimists.

One of Steve’s mentors, Jim Marks, has said that when it comes to public health, the only scientifically defensible position is optimism. It’s a reminder that whatever challenges we face -- and there are many -- we have made many giant strides over many decades. Progress, Jim notes, is not linear (Covid-19 proves this point), but is more like the stock market -- up over the long-term despite periodic dips. Amidst the noise, the confusion and the rancor, there are signs of optimism -- about building health into everyday life -- to be found. We’re sharing some of the signs in this issue: a boom in bicycles and e-bikes; a major transportation initiative approved by Austin, TX voters; greater understanding of how factors such as exposure to nature and to noise pollution influence our health; increasing attention on how tech and social media can support our social relationships; new models of housing that are more social and community-oriented; and a car-free development being built in Arizona.

“Optimism is defensible still when framed as the likelihood of a successful outcome following effort,” Jim points out. So let’s keep at it.


- Steve & Thomas

"It's easier to reform the environment
than it is to attempt to reform people."

—Buckminster Fuller

TIL

How Solitude and Isolation Can Change How You Think
Jumping off from the story of a man who lived for five years in extreme isolation, the BBC’s Zaria Gorvett delves into the science of how social isolation and loneliness can affect our brains, and in turn our social skills, leading to a potentially damaging feedback loop. Read more.

Lessons in Loneliness
This past summer the Aspen Institute held roundtables on loneliness, social connection and technology with researchers, academics, clinicians, and technologists. These discussions, along with some background research, have been packaged in a new report. Key takeaways include the finding that loneliness does not seem to have surged in the pandemic and that the links between social media and loneliness needs further study. Read more.

“It Made Me Feel Brighter in Myself”- The Health and Well-Being Impacts of a Residential Front Garden Horticultural Intervention
Biophilia alert: a new research study testing the impact of adding ornamental garden plants to people’s residences has shown improvements in self-reported health and lower cortisol levels. Read more.

Did Athens’ ‘Great Walk’ Stumble?
CityLab with a cautionary tale from Athens on a pandemic-accelerated plan for more bike lanes and pedestrian walkways that shows once again that execution really matters. Read more.

A Business Case for Improving The Well-Being of Essential Shift Workers
Researchers Megan McHugh, Claude Maechling and Jane L. Holl report on their study of 2600 shift workers at a manufacturing company. The workers showed significantly greater prevalence of obesity and diabetes, leading to measurable increases in health care costs. Note that the World Health Organization has labeled shift work, which disrupts circadian rhythms, as a “likely carcinogen” as it has been associated with higher rates of many chronic illnesses. Read more.

Governments Worldwide Consider Ditching Daylight Saving Time
Continuing with the theme of the health effects of circadian rhythm misalignment, check out Diana Kwon’s piece in Scientific American on the reasons why advocates are urging the elimination of daylight saving time. Read more. (And if you want the full case laid out very clearly, read f.lux co-founder Michael Herf’s essay Why Standard Time Is Better.)

The Devil's Hair Dryer
It’s the season for them, so we couldn’t resist David Dudley’s epically titled meditation on leaf blowers. And remember, noise does affect your health. Read more

IT'S HAPPENING

Austin, Texas, Just Voted to Spend $7 Billion on a Transportation Revolution
Voters in Austin approved a major transportation initiative -- investment in a new light rail system, rapid bus lanes and also in new infrastructure for biking and walking. They're also hoping to preempt the dislocation that can come from gentrification through rent subsidies, low-income housing and assistance for home buyers. Mobility equity is a key value in the plan. Read more.

Harley-Davidson Unveils a Gorgeous New Electric Bike Called Serial 1
Sign o' the times. Read more.

The Capital of Sprawl Gets a Radically Car-Free Neighborhood
Culdesac, one of the “builders” we feature on our website, gets an in-depth New York Times profile on its efforts to build a car-free neighborhood in Tempe, Arizona. Read more.

The Future of Fresh
Deloitte probes grocery shopping behavior in a report on a recent consumer survey. The report focuses on a number of shifts precipitated by the pandemic and also includes this positive news: that 9 out of 10 consumers say that fresh food makes them happy. Read more.

COVID-19 Is Changing The Way Some Planners Think About How To Design And Develop Cities
Urbanism meets equity meets Covid in this WBEZ profile of community planning in Chicago. Read more.


WHAT IF?

“What to Expect When You’re Expecting Robots”
MIT’s Jennifer Chu previews a new book by engineers Julie Shah and Laura Major, who are urging designers to rethink not just how robots fit in with society, but also how society can adapt in the face of the growing presence of robots in our everyday lives (e.g. see last issue’s story on pizza-delivering -- and pizza-making -- robots). Read more.

Relationship Design: A Manifesto
Niko Canner believes the next frontier of design should be relationship design. As he puts it: “Design brings the gift of intentionality to how people engage with one another, come together to create shared meaning, build community from diversity, and advance common cause.” Read more.


VOICES

What Will It Take for Americans to Ditch Their Obsession with Single-Family Homes?
FastCompany’s Nate Berg interviews Diana Lind, author of Brave New Home, which looks at the growing range of housing types that go beyond the classic “American Dream” of a single-family home. Lind discusses some of the shifts she’s seeing, including more people seeking out co-living arrangements, and also questions the role of home ownership in wealth creation. Read more.

During the Worst Summer of Our Lives, I Didn’t Have Internet. It Was the Best.
Recode reporter Rani Molla shares a personal essay in Vox on her summer of limited connectivity -- and the value of retreating from constant information overload. Read more.

ICYMI






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