Sprawl May Harm Health, Study Finds (washingtonpost.com)
"Suburban sprawl affects your health," said Roland Sturm, a senior economist at the Rand Corp. of Santa Monica, Calif., who led the study, which is being released today. "That's really the take-home message."
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The increase in health problems is presumably due to the fact that sprawl discourages physical activity, increasing the chances of being overweight or obese. In addition, sprawling communities tend to have more air pollution, Sturm said.

"This really seems to be due mainly to air pollution and physical activity," Sturm said.
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So, "sprawl," whatever that is, "discourages physical activity"? I wonder how come the further my family and I move from Chicago the more physically fit we become?