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According to this article, suburban sprawl is proposed as a cause for obesity, as well as other health issues, in suburbanites. The author discusses how design of living spaces can influence health and how it will be difficult to fix the problem of suburban sprawl now that it has already occurred.
Some of the issues with urban sprawl include ecosystem destruction, increased use of cars, and therefore increased air pollution. Each of these problems should be reason enough to begin making smarter decisions about urban development. One solution to the problem of urban sprawl is changes in city planning practices. Mixed zoning reduces the distance from residential space to commercial space, and setting an urban boundary can help protect surrounding ecosystems. Improved public transportation also makes living in a very urban area more appealing because it reduces traffic and air pollution.
Images from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/Los_Angeles_-_Echangeur_autoroute_110_105.JPG and http://www.mass.gov/envir/smart_growth_toolkit/images/Ag-vs.jpg.