Besides their awful carbon footprint (though it can be a carbon sink...), cement is great for things like Roller Blades, Bikes, Skateboards, Cars, and anything else with wheels. It makes travel easier, quick, smooth. That is it's use.
It's not really good for feet, though. There is a reason that there is no animal evolved to locomote with wheels: this sort of surface didn't exist before us. It's kind of a marvel that we make all of our "sidewalks" out of it.
Where I live, it seems that every place that people do walk, someone thinks we need concrete there. "Oh! People are walking there... well, let's make it an official path! Make it easy." I think that this is the thought: make it easy.
But there are some people, of whom I number one, who avoid the sidewalks. I walk beside the sidewalk because I understand how horrible it is for me and I rather like my legs. I am one of those people who cut across and line out where a new sidewalk will go. But it is not because I want a new sidewalk; it is because I want less.
I was wondering how many knee problems would go away if we didn't have sidewalks? Or if our sidewalks were packed earth or something softer? But I suppose after a million people trampled it down, a dirt path would be almost as hard. I am not sure if the research has been done, because it would be difficult to do. Are there any places that have replaced cement sidewalks with softer paths? Cement is so hard that your knees, bones, and joints take all the brunt of your step. I wouldn't be too surprised if some lower-back problems are the fault of walking on such hard surfaces. They aren't good for your ankle, either. With such a flat surface, your ankle gets weaker and weaker as your supporting muscles atrophy. Or simply fail to grow in the first place. Making it easier to twist and injure the joint.
Yet another place a simple change could have great impact. But it would require a re-tooling of our current system.
It's not really good for feet, though. There is a reason that there is no animal evolved to locomote with wheels: this sort of surface didn't exist before us. It's kind of a marvel that we make all of our "sidewalks" out of it.
Where I live, it seems that every place that people do walk, someone thinks we need concrete there. "Oh! People are walking there... well, let's make it an official path! Make it easy." I think that this is the thought: make it easy.
But there are some people, of whom I number one, who avoid the sidewalks. I walk beside the sidewalk because I understand how horrible it is for me and I rather like my legs. I am one of those people who cut across and line out where a new sidewalk will go. But it is not because I want a new sidewalk; it is because I want less.
I was wondering how many knee problems would go away if we didn't have sidewalks? Or if our sidewalks were packed earth or something softer? But I suppose after a million people trampled it down, a dirt path would be almost as hard. I am not sure if the research has been done, because it would be difficult to do. Are there any places that have replaced cement sidewalks with softer paths? Cement is so hard that your knees, bones, and joints take all the brunt of your step. I wouldn't be too surprised if some lower-back problems are the fault of walking on such hard surfaces. They aren't good for your ankle, either. With such a flat surface, your ankle gets weaker and weaker as your supporting muscles atrophy. Or simply fail to grow in the first place. Making it easier to twist and injure the joint.
Yet another place a simple change could have great impact. But it would require a re-tooling of our current system.
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