If you read this newsletter every week, value the labor that goes into it, and haven’t become a paid subscriber — think about it! Many of the people who read this newsletter the most are people who haven’t paid — and I get it, I really do, I’m constantly saying I’m going to pay for things and take weeks to actually do it.
I find it so fascinating (and depressing) how often the "ob*sity epidemic" is referenced right alongside cholera outbreaks and Spanish flu and covid, as though fatness is contagious or something you need to quarantine against. I don't mean to say Sarah believes this! I understand that she's referencing it in terms of actions that have been taken by urban planners in response to a perceived threat. But it's something I've been thinking about and I would love to read a dissection of that really common framing from someone more knowledgeable than me.
The reason that obesity is mentioned within the context of COVID is because people who are obese are more likely to suffer more severe symptoms and end up in hospital. Is it not meant to "fat shame", but rather to educate people that you can actually reduce the severity of contracting the virus if you reduce your weight by changing your diet. This is science, it is not conjecture. You needn't feel any shame or pressure, just be aware of the facts, that's all :-).
Hey, that's not actually true! Fat people do experience worse health outcomes on a variety of things, but that's due to a combination of medical neglect, stigma, and long-term stress from systemic oppressions. Saying this as though it's a fact can be very harmful and perpetuates systems of inequality that place blame/onus on the individual people.
Not reading, but there’s an episode of a fantastic podcast called Maintenance Phase named “Obesity Epidemic” that talks about the history of how obesity became classified as a disease and how the language that was intended to destigmatize and get us to think more broadly about the complex factors that impact weight became… well, just like you said. https://open.spotify.com/episode/1zquJr6NhNWBrQy7d87z0S?si=QUVB2pxsSLST5Y8eNNq7lw
Anne, thank you soooo much for this interview! Sara Jensen Carr, I can't wait to read your book, because it seems like it covers all of my urban planning interests - encampments and ending homelessness, planning for children, street and parking lot diets!
I work as a town planner and it blows my mind that I cannot convince the county school system (as part of an elementary school reconstruction) to install a missing piece of sidewalk at a traffic light crossing for children walking to school from the neighborhood across the street. "They can just take the bus" is their answer - never mind the autonomy and independence it gives kids when they can walk safely! Not to mention that this also gives these kids better access to the playground and playing fields after hours.
As a planner, I legit worry that one day I will be seen as a negligent parent because I want to give my child a sense of independence that used to be normal. For instance, the only day of the year that my mom would accompany me to the bus stop in elementary school was the first day of school - now I see middle school parents walking to and waiting at the bus stop with their kids on a daily basis! And we wonder why there is a rise of anxiety among kids and teens - we don't trust them to do something as simple as walk to the bus stop by themselves until age 14, whereas I was taught how to drive a truck around my grandparents' farm at age 11! It blows my mind because in so many ways the world is safer today (if there's an emergency, everyone has a cell phone!) yet we restrict kids more than before.
I wrote my graduate capstone project on compassionate planning for unsheltered homelessness back in 2017, and I directly countered the common "public health" complaint by - gasp - suggesting that the city provide basic services like trash pick-up and port-a-potties! While it's not ideal for people to be living long-term in encampments, why not at least try to mitigate the public health issues in the short term while increasing permanent affordable housing in the long-term!
As for parking, it's mind-blowing how much money goes into building and maintaining parking, especially in a mixed-use development with a parking garage. My town has been trying to attract developers into building mixed-use residential downtown and the projects keep stalling because of the cost. I would love to reduce (or ideally eliminate) the parking requirements and encourage landlords to include discounted monthly passes to the municipal garage in the cost of rent. My town is 25 miles outside of a major city with very barebones public transit, so we have to be realistic in that even if families are working from home, they may still need two cars for the rest of the week.
I do love how many restaurants have set up large tents in their parking lots and how there's still parking leftover; I hope outdoor dining becomes a more permanent thing.
It is a fact that obese people are worse off when it comes to COVID specifically, that is why I included the articles in my comment. You cannot deny facts, regardless of whether you like them or not.
I find it so fascinating (and depressing) how often the "ob*sity epidemic" is referenced right alongside cholera outbreaks and Spanish flu and covid, as though fatness is contagious or something you need to quarantine against. I don't mean to say Sarah believes this! I understand that she's referencing it in terms of actions that have been taken by urban planners in response to a perceived threat. But it's something I've been thinking about and I would love to read a dissection of that really common framing from someone more knowledgeable than me.
The reason that obesity is mentioned within the context of COVID is because people who are obese are more likely to suffer more severe symptoms and end up in hospital. Is it not meant to "fat shame", but rather to educate people that you can actually reduce the severity of contracting the virus if you reduce your weight by changing your diet. This is science, it is not conjecture. You needn't feel any shame or pressure, just be aware of the facts, that's all :-).
https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/obesity-and-covid-19.html
https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20211209/coronavirus-attacks-fat-tissue
Hey, that's not actually true! Fat people do experience worse health outcomes on a variety of things, but that's due to a combination of medical neglect, stigma, and long-term stress from systemic oppressions. Saying this as though it's a fact can be very harmful and perpetuates systems of inequality that place blame/onus on the individual people.
Not reading, but there’s an episode of a fantastic podcast called Maintenance Phase named “Obesity Epidemic” that talks about the history of how obesity became classified as a disease and how the language that was intended to destigmatize and get us to think more broadly about the complex factors that impact weight became… well, just like you said. https://open.spotify.com/episode/1zquJr6NhNWBrQy7d87z0S?si=QUVB2pxsSLST5Y8eNNq7lw
Thank you!
Whoops, Sara, not Sarah! Sorry sorry!
Anne, thank you soooo much for this interview! Sara Jensen Carr, I can't wait to read your book, because it seems like it covers all of my urban planning interests - encampments and ending homelessness, planning for children, street and parking lot diets!
I work as a town planner and it blows my mind that I cannot convince the county school system (as part of an elementary school reconstruction) to install a missing piece of sidewalk at a traffic light crossing for children walking to school from the neighborhood across the street. "They can just take the bus" is their answer - never mind the autonomy and independence it gives kids when they can walk safely! Not to mention that this also gives these kids better access to the playground and playing fields after hours.
As a planner, I legit worry that one day I will be seen as a negligent parent because I want to give my child a sense of independence that used to be normal. For instance, the only day of the year that my mom would accompany me to the bus stop in elementary school was the first day of school - now I see middle school parents walking to and waiting at the bus stop with their kids on a daily basis! And we wonder why there is a rise of anxiety among kids and teens - we don't trust them to do something as simple as walk to the bus stop by themselves until age 14, whereas I was taught how to drive a truck around my grandparents' farm at age 11! It blows my mind because in so many ways the world is safer today (if there's an emergency, everyone has a cell phone!) yet we restrict kids more than before.
I wrote my graduate capstone project on compassionate planning for unsheltered homelessness back in 2017, and I directly countered the common "public health" complaint by - gasp - suggesting that the city provide basic services like trash pick-up and port-a-potties! While it's not ideal for people to be living long-term in encampments, why not at least try to mitigate the public health issues in the short term while increasing permanent affordable housing in the long-term!
As for parking, it's mind-blowing how much money goes into building and maintaining parking, especially in a mixed-use development with a parking garage. My town has been trying to attract developers into building mixed-use residential downtown and the projects keep stalling because of the cost. I would love to reduce (or ideally eliminate) the parking requirements and encourage landlords to include discounted monthly passes to the municipal garage in the cost of rent. My town is 25 miles outside of a major city with very barebones public transit, so we have to be realistic in that even if families are working from home, they may still need two cars for the rest of the week.
I do love how many restaurants have set up large tents in their parking lots and how there's still parking leftover; I hope outdoor dining becomes a more permanent thing.
This was absolutely fascinating and, also, crushing in places. Excited to read this book. Thank you!
It is a fact that obese people are worse off when it comes to COVID specifically, that is why I included the articles in my comment. You cannot deny facts, regardless of whether you like them or not.