The City Where People Are In The Greatest Hurry

Urban-Dwellers Hit The Fast Lane
From: MXNews, 2 May 2007

The pace of city life is literally getting faster, a study shows.

Psychologists have found a 10% increase in the speed at which people walk over the past decade, a fact backed by findings from 32 countries.

California psychologist Professor Robert Levine showed 10 years ago how walking speed gave a reliable measure of the pace of city life.

British psychologist Professor Richard Wiseman, who led the new research, said: "This simple measurement provides significant insight into a city's physical and social health.

"This increase in speed will affect more people than ever because, for the first time in history, the majority of the world's population live in urban centres."

People are in the greatest hurry in Singapore, followed by the two fastest European cities, Copenhagen and Madrid.

New York, the city that never sleeps, ranked only eighth, while London was a surprisingly slow 12th.

Researchers in each city timed unobstructed people on a wide, flat footpath in a popular street and found men were generally 25 per cent quicker on their feet than women.

"By 2040 we will be arriving before we set off," said Wiseman, of the University of Herfordshire.

The original research showed that people in fast-moving cities were less likely to help others, and had higher rates of heart disease than those living at a slower pace.