We must fight to make our cities healthy places to live | Owen Jones

Cutting back on parks, cycling infrastructure and leisure budgets will prove to be a false economy. There are huge financial benefits to having a healthy populace

Cities fit for people, rather than exhaust pipes; cities where residents are happier, have improved physical and mental wellbeing, sleep better, live longer. In our age of deficit fetishism, the success of a policy is judged by its economic returns, rather than whether it improves the lives of living, breathing human beings. But a new study suggests that cities that invest in encouraging their citizens to be physically active reap both financial and human rewards.

For every pound cities across the world invest in walking and cycling projects, for example, the returns average 13; here in Britain, it could be as high as 19. Investing in green spaces and public transport clears both the air and the roads, and makes cities pleasant places to live.

Prosperous nations have the wealth to invest in their cities, however much today's politicians protest otherwise

Related: Sick cities: why urban living can be bad for your mental health