We know that food and activity can affect our health, but the city where we live can have a direct effect on our health.
Recently I was in Shanghai, China to attend my daughter’s graduation. The subway system is called the Metro. The Metro is very efficient in handling thousands of people even during rush hours. I have used the subways in Tokyo, London, and New York City, and the Metro is up there in security, efficiency, and cleanliness.
The stations of the Metro are far apart. I had to walk about 10 to 15 minutes from my hotel to get there. By the time you get there, I had to use the stairs or the escalators to get to the subway car.
You can stand while inside the Metro subway, and there are plenty of handles to grab on to. The inside is well lighted and quite. The trip is fast and smooth. There are security officers at the station, and all bags are inspected and x-rayed. I heard that the penalties for stealing are harsh, so pickpocketing and snatching incidents are low.
I also used a high-speed Magnetic Levitation train (Maglev) from Pudong International Airport and on a trip to Hangzhou. The Maglev can travel up to 500 kph (310 mph). The Maglevs are clean, safe, and efficient.
Walking in the stations are not dull. Many ads and public service announcements are present.
Unlike in some parts of the U.S., having no personal vehicle is doable in Shanghai. That is because the sidewalks are wide, clean, and free of obstructions. Even during the night time, I have walked in the middle of the night to go to a convenience store, and I never felt threatened.
Walking is easy as the sidewalks are well paved and even. Pedestrian signs are well lighted and also has a count down for the stop and go signs. There were days I counted 18,000 steps.
Walking at night is not challenging.
Large parks for family and friends to spend time are essential to make people go out, socialize, and have fun.
Bicycles are also available for rent. There is an app for that.can download, and you just to scan the bar code in the bike, with your phone and the wheels will unlock. Once you get to your destination, just note on your phone that your trip has ended and park it. Bike rentals are inexpensive. It is safe to be a pedestrian or a biker in Shanghai because the cars, motorcycles, and buses give way to the pedestrians.
It is expensive to have a car in Shanghai but walking, and public transportation is affordable and accessible.
There are some things that I did not see in my walks in Shanghai, those are medical facilities like urgent cares, hospitals, dialysis centers, or orthopedic centers. The number of medical facilities may not be an indicator of the overall health of a locale, but it reflects the demand for health services. I never saw or heard of an ambulance in China while I was there.
The concept of how the environment affects the population is being used by city planners and landscape architects to increase physical activity and improve overall health. The medical journal Lancet has an article, Urban design: an important future force for health and wellbeing. A three-part Lancet Series on urban design, transport, and health which explores the role and opportunity of city planning and design to improve health and wellbeing on a wide scale.
The World Health Organization has a website about Healthy Urban planning and design.
The point of the article is to illustrate that our environment can affect how much physical activity we can do. Once we know that, we can make the adjustments. We can adjust by moving, but since that is not practical for the majority, we can just increase the amount of physical activity by doing HIIT at the gym or home.
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Very informative, how we all wish we can live in a clean and safe place like that or in one of country in the Blue Zone…
You don’t need a visa when traveling to China if you are going to a third country. For example U.S.A to China and then to the Philippines. They allow a visitors visa that lasts from 24 to 144 hours.