[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 157 (Tuesday, November 9, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H11709-H11710]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    A LIVABLE COMMUNITY IS ONE WHERE FAMILIES ARE SAFE, HEALTHY AND 
                          ECONOMICALLY SECURE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 19, 1999, the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, a livable community is one where 
families are safe, healthy and economically secure. While much 
attention is given to the damage that unplanned growth can have to the 
physical environment, the physical blight, traffic congestion, loss of 
open space, wildlife habitat, it is clear that a community that is not 
livable can also have direct impacts on

[[Page H11710]]

the physical and psychological health of families as well.
  Just this week, the South Coast Air Quality Management District in 
Southern California released a report documenting the danger to people 
breathing the toxic air that is concentrated near southern California's 
congested freeways. This danger has increased the risk of cancer. 
People today are increasingly concerned about the soaring rates of 
asthma among our children which clearly appears related to the toxins 
we are putting into the air.
  Recently, there was an article that I found amusing in the Washington 
Post, about how some people really enjoy the real long commute. It 
helps them center themselves and prepare for a long day.
  I suppose that may be true for some, but when the average American 
spends more than 50 work days a year trapped behind the wheel of a car, 
just getting to and from their occupation, and when we have lost 43 
more hours in the last 5 years to commuting, there are direct 
implications. I would venture that for a much larger number the commute 
to work is not the highlight of their day.
  The National Sleep Foundation has reported that the 158 hours added 
to the yearly work commutes since 1969 have been subtracted from the 
time many Americans sleep. Carol Rodriguez, director of the Institute 
of Stress Medicine in Norwalk, Connecticut, observed that people with 
lengthy commutes often exhibit signs of stress in the workplace.
  Marriage and family counselors in the Bay Area see patients 
struggling with the increased demands and stress placed upon them from 
their longer work commutes. This struggle is manifesting itself in 
family problems and even divorce. It has been noted that divorce itself 
is no longer a reliever to the stress of long commutes and separation 
because often, after a family breaks up, the difficulties of two 
households in coordinating the needs of children and employment are 
usually greater in terms of time and miles driven to hold things 
together.
  The job-related problems where employers increasingly, in congested 
communities, never seem to know when their employees are going to show 
up, seems tame by comparison.
  One of the most interesting developments may be found in a report 
from the Center for Disease Control and prevention on increasing 
obesity rates in the United States. Rates have been increasing since 
1991 all across America, but there was particular concern about an 
increase of over 101 percent in Georgia.
  In 1991, when the study began, metropolitan Atlanta had one of the 
lowest obesity rates. What is the reason for the increase? Some blame 
the traditional southern diet, which it is true is often high in fat, 
but the South's diet is not that much different than the rest of the 
country today. In any case, it certainly does not explain why Georgia 
has the worst problem than the rest of the South.
  It is interesting that the researcher placed part of the blame on the 
problems that metropolitan Atlanta is facing as the community has 
become less and less livable. The skyrocketing obesity rates coincide 
exactly with the explosion of unplanned growth around metropolitan 
Atlanta which some claim is the highest growth rate in history.
  Dr. William Deats, one of the study's co-authors, points out that the 
time in the car encourages not just more fast food, it eats into the 
time for exercise. Others have noticed that Atlanta's unplanned growth 
has shortchanged the opportunities for outdoor exercise. It is not a 
walkable community. Sidewalks do not lead anywhere and even if people 
had the time and a place to exercise, the increasingly bad air makes 
the benefits of exercise problematic.
  It is important for us to reflect on why the political landscape is 
being influenced by the discussion of livable communities and why it is 
such a major issue. It seems at some level the American public 
understands that their health, both emotional and physical, of the 
family, the ability to be fit, reduce stress, adequate sleep and for 
the family to live together is one of the first casualties if a 
community is not livable.
  I strongly urge my colleagues to join with me in making sure that 
this session of Congress does its job for the Federal Government to be 
a better partner in maintaining and enhancing the livability of 
American communities.

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