In this weekend’s food for thought: more news about blimmin’ Scandinavians doing it right. 

Scandis do it better: Copenhagen shares its secrets for being the happiest, most livable city in the world

Scandinavians. They look great on bikes, live in impeccably designed homes, are happier than most, and, apparently, know how to build the healthiest cities in the world! It’s enough to make you sick…. Unless you live there.

Eye roll… But is there something to learn here?

As covered by The Guardian’s Sarah Boseley, promoting health in everyday life is the first of six initiatives in the city’s 10 year health plan, “by making it attractive to cycle, by serving nutritious lunches in our institutions or by enabling educational institutions to offer quit-smoking programmes.”

For some this sounds like social engineering and an intolerable level of state interference in private lives. But the Danes justify this quite simply, according to the article: “Healthy thriving people are … more likely to complete an education and find employment. In other words, health enables us to live the life we want.”  Read more

Do you feel like your town helps you be healthier and have a better life?

Or is that left mainly up to you?

Tags: cities, Copenhagen, healthy cities, public health, scandis, urban design