The secret to good public policy is simplicity

Human behavior often follows the path of least resistance due to our brains being wired to conserve effort. The more friction we encounter, the less likely we are to continue an action. This concept is demonstrated in Aesop's fable "The Fox and the Grapes," where the fox rationalizes that grapes are not ripe because they are out of reach. A research study applied this concept, finding that participants altered their judgments to favor easier actions when faced with increased resistance. Our brains can trick us into believing that the easiest option is the best, even if it's not accurate. Most daily decisions are unconscious, so if leaders want people to choose healthy and sustainable behaviors, those behaviors must be the easiest to choose. Unfortunately, many American towns and cities are built in a way that makes unhealthy choices the easiest option. To change this, planners and engineers can create systems that nudge people towards healthy choices by making them simple and intuitive. Urban planners and officials should have a clear, memorable, and anchored one-sentence purpose for their projects, such as "Our streets will be safe for 8-year-olds riding bicycles." By making good urbanism easy, people will naturally choose it over unhealthy options.