This blog is intended to go along with Population: An Introduction to Concepts and Issues, by John R. Weeks, published by Cengage Learning. The latest edition is the 13th (it will be out in January 2020), but this blog is meant to complement any edition of the book by showing the way in which demographic issues are regularly in the news.

You can download an iPhone app for the 13th edition from the App Store (search for Weeks Population).

If you are a user of my textbook and would like to suggest a blog post idea, please email me at: john.weeks@sdsu.edu

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Copenhagen is One of the Healthiest Places to Live

Continuing the list of places you might want to live (or not want to live, depending upon your predilections), I happened to run across a BBC News story on the healthiest cities in the world. Keep in mind that, despite the old myth that bucolic rural places are the healthiest places to be, in the modern world cities are where you are apt to live longest (which is often, though not always, a sign of good health). So, what are the cities? Monaco, Perth, Copenhagen. I am in Copenhagen right now, so  the story obviously caught my eye, especially since Denmark is also known as the happiest country on earth. There is a good deal of talk in this town about the very high tax on the sale of cars that limits the number of automobiles in the city, along with good public transportation and a strong emphasis on bicycling and walking as desirable forms of transportation. Overall, the country seems determined to lower its carbon imprint on the globe, and this is related to a sense of concern for others (rather than just selfish concern for oneself) that many here think is the key to satisfaction with life, which translates into high life expectancy because people are willing to bear the cost of excellent national health insurance.

2 comments:

  1. Perhaps the leaders of Denmark ... should be running the entire world! :-)

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    1. Well, yes, although Denmark seems like a place where people have the sense of "it takes a village." I could be wrong, but I had the impression that the people were taking the lead, not the leaders, if you know what I mean.

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