Designing Healthy Communities Kindle Edition

Designing Healthy Communities Kindle Edition
Author: Richard J. Jackson ID: B005OKPELG

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File Size: 4313 KBPrint Length: 304 pagesPublisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (September 19, 2011)Publication Date: September 19, 2011 Sold by:  Digital Services, Inc. Language: EnglishID: B005OKPELGText-to-Speech: Enabled X-Ray: Not Enabled Word Wise: Not EnabledLending: Enabled Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled Best Sellers Rank: #510,875 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store) #199 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Medical eBooks > Administration & Policy > Public Health #1407 in Books > Medical Books > Administration & Medicine Economics > Public Health #18706 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Science

I have just finished reading Designing Healthy Communities, by Richard J. Jackson, with Stacy Sinclair. It is one of the most important books I have read in the past few years. I interviewed Dr. Jackson for my book, INSIDE THE OUTBREAKS, a history of the Epidemic Intelligence Service, because he was an EIS officer at the beginning of his long career in public health. The worst public health disaster we currently face is the obesity epidemic, which leads to prolonged illness and deaths from diabetes, stroke, heart disease, and various types of cancer. Jackson makes the compelling case that our built environment — i.e., our car-centric culture — is largely to blame, along with the widespread availability of cheap junk food versus fresh, locally grown produce and meat. He calls for a rethinking of the way we live, encouraging people to walk, bike, and rediscover the type of city and small-town life we once had in this country in the early 1900s, with the addition of more modern conveniences and design. He gives examples of cities that have "done it right," such as Boulder, Colorado, and Charleston, South Carolina, while discussing the plight of troubled cities such as Detroit, Michigan, and Oakland, California. Those interested in the good and bad aspects of Atlanta, Georgia, will also find much to ponder.

The book is a companion to a four-part, four-hour documentary series of the same name. I have watched the series, which is compelling as well. The book and film really are complementary rather than duplicative. Each includes information missing from the other, though the over-arching messages are the same.

I highly recommend this book and DVD series to anyone interested in public health, city design, healthy living, and our future on this planet.

I saw the author of this book on a T.V interview and I was so intrgued by what was said that I wanted to get it as fast as I could and at a good price so I used my Card at the store on-line. I was writing a program at the time about helping neighbors to be good and healthy neighbors. Upon reading this book by jumping from area of interest to another I decided this was outstanding and could be used in a variety of ways. This book ought to be shared and used by every town or city council as well as the County Commission. It is easy to read and understood by the average high school graduate hence any citizen who is able to afford it ought to possess and study it. Although written by an M.D. it is very down to earth with a spiritual infusion that empowers one’s compassion for the citizens of a community that is not able to follow the concepts and insights of his recommendations. Well Done.

The ideas and information in Designing Healthy Communities aren’t rocket science – like most common sense solutions to problems, the points made in this book are fundamental and reasonable. The trick is whether we as a society can summon the will to implement the needed changes – and this book is an excellent roadmap for how to do that.

I learned what people are doing around the United States to repair the damage that has crept into our lifestyles and our communities. The problems are right there on the surface – but ideas for better ways are harder to find. Yet Dr. Jackson and Dr. Sinclair sought out these ideas and it turns out that they’re not complicated at all – they’re things our great-grandparents took for granted. Community, healthy food, exercise, clean water and air. Add in to that everything we’ve learned about building safe and efficient buildings and the only thing standing in our way is the will to change the world we live in.

This is an excellent book that gives real-world solutions to the endemic environmental health challenges we face today.
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