Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Pittsburgh Sits Still, But Does Not Need More Parks
Forbes Magazine regularly compiles lists on the best places to do business, best states for taxes, etc. A new list examines physical activity: it finds that Pittsburgh ranks 14th as the most sedentary city based on measurements of body mass index, television watching habits, and levels of exercise. Only one other northern city, Detroit, ranked higher on the list.
As with most lists looking at a broad collection of cities, the data can be collected fairly easily, but applying a broad solution is far more elusive. The magazine recommends combating the sedentary epidemic by “by encouraging people to exercise more, and by spending more on parks and running, hiking and bike trails”.
It is doubtful that Forbes knows that Allegheny County has a dedicated revenue source from the 1 percent sales tax that has been used since 1994 to fund parks and outdoor activity. Before the usual suspects in the region weigh in with admonitions for government to do more, know the following. Since that year, a combined $240 million has gone to City and County parks (27% of total allocations) from the sales tax. In addition, the region boasts of an impressive network of trails and there are numerous municipal and state parks in the area, much of them funded by tax dollars.
In short, there is an ample supply of outdoor amenities in the Pittsburgh region.
As with most lists looking at a broad collection of cities, the data can be collected fairly easily, but applying a broad solution is far more elusive. The magazine recommends combating the sedentary epidemic by “by encouraging people to exercise more, and by spending more on parks and running, hiking and bike trails”.
It is doubtful that Forbes knows that Allegheny County has a dedicated revenue source from the 1 percent sales tax that has been used since 1994 to fund parks and outdoor activity. Before the usual suspects in the region weigh in with admonitions for government to do more, know the following. Since that year, a combined $240 million has gone to City and County parks (27% of total allocations) from the sales tax. In addition, the region boasts of an impressive network of trails and there are numerous municipal and state parks in the area, much of them funded by tax dollars.
In short, there is an ample supply of outdoor amenities in the Pittsburgh region.
