Exactly why are cities good for you? This is the question one expects to be answered in a book called Cities Are Good for You. Do cities make you live longer? Do they make you happier? Do they make you a more caring person? Which is it? Oddly enough, the book has very little to say about the important claim made in its title. Only on pages 286 and 289 does author Leo Hollis, a Londoner, tell us that people who live in cities do live longer than those who live in suburbs. And the reason for this is not at all profound: If you live in the city, you are more likely to use public transportation. And if you use public transportation, you are going to walk between stations or stops and your final destination. And when you walk more, you burn more energy, and this results in better health. And if you are healthier, you are happier, and if you are happier, you are going to be a nicer person.
