How an obese town lost a million pounds | Mick Cornett

Oklahoma City is a midsized town that had a big problem: It was among the most obese towns in America. Mayor Mick Cornett realized that, to make his city a great place to work and live, it had to become healthier too. In this charming talk, he walks us through the interlocking changes that helped OKC drop a collective million pounds (450,000 kilos).
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[@eastendthug]

This is probably the coolest Mayor i've ever seen.

[@crankysmurf]

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford should listen to Mayor Mick Cornett.

[@vinniechan]

Basically he did the hard work to make it easy for people to live healthy. Good to see logic prevails

[@MateHegyhati]

Some of those rare moments, when You know You are not wasting time on KZbin. Thank You.

[@TheSkepticalHumanist]

Take a look, Mr. Bloomberg -- this is how a mayor properly governs and improves his city, not with paternalism or restrictions on commercial choices but with inspiration and by challenging them to improve their own lives. In this regard, Oklahoma City is a model of American self-government. Good for you, Mr. Mayor! Well done.

[@RBurns80]

So taking other peoples money and building things that you think people should be using whether they want to or not, isn't paternalism?

[@xxhellspawnedxx]

Ronnie Burns No, because no one is forced to do anything, only encouraged. And public spending, as opposed to individual spending, is guaranteed to give a return to the community, if not to you personally, while individual spending only lines the pockets of business owners, and doesn't necessarily give anything back to the community. Greater good and all that.

[@TheSkepticalHumanist]

Ronnie Burns No, not in the least. :)

[@tomelmore8431]

"Not with paternalism?" You must be kidding! Ask the beleaguered survivors and families of those lost in the very, very fishy Murrah Federal Building Bombing in April, 1995. The millions and millions of dollars freely given for their relief by decent people all over the world was scarfed up by the big shots through their "Oklahoma City Community Foundation" and NOT just turned over to the families for whom it was given. The families - many still struggling desperately - have to "apply" to get the benefit of that fund. It's astounding. www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0504170293apr17-story.html

[@subhashdas7125]

Ronnie Burns Kathi 2 4 1 8

[@LeonidasGGG]

One man's vision for the people's benefit, working to come true... That's what politics should be all about.

[@tomelmore8431]

A lot of money and effort has been expended to give the impression you've swallowed hook, line and sinker. You really oughta' wake up. You're too ignorant to help preserve the Republic.

[@egotisticcougar]

Having grown up in OKC, I can attest to the effectiveness of the MAPS programs. That, coupled with our acquisition of the Thunder Basketball team, makes the city a really cool place to be in, especially downtown!

[@natekidren]

+egotisticcougar amen bro. OKC is becoming better and the next "big thing" in my opinion

[@srimansrini]

Mick Cornett, Mayor of Okalhoma City presents a riveting case of how the innovative thinking administrators of the city (including himself) paved the way for their city regain confidence and changed the perception of the world. A must watch for the people who want to think different and think inventively.

[@diwangislucky]

gasp of sarcasm included

[@InkubusGames]

He is saying one important thing: an initiative comes from the top (the rest will follow)! In this case, it was a good initiative. Kudos for that one.

[@crankysmurf]

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford should listen to Mayor Mick Cornett.

[@DoctorMaisy]

This talk brought tears to my eyes. I am happy that influential people are concerned about the health of cities and making positive strides in making cities more people-friendly and are changing people's perspectives on leading healthy lives.

[@kinsmed]

Expected this to be a dull subject. But thanks, Your Honor.

[@flatfeelawyers1744]

It's exciting to know that a city can change so dramatically...great job Mr. Cornett!

[@macspud28]

Use those wide streets to install proper bicycle infrastructure and really show America how it should be done. Walkablity is great but add cyclability and you've really got something.

[@Heritage_PerformanceSci]

A fantastic talk. Great to see a mayor directing funds to worthwhile projects to prevent disease and educate the public as well as subconsciously engage them in physical activity. Too many would build more hospitals that are understaffed and under funded. It's a great demonstration of how a city should be human centred rather than can centred. Highly logical!

[@EqualsThreeable]

See now this guy is a good politician, he sells you on his city well, makes good points, tells you he isn't perfect, but he's trying.

[@shanecox7942]

Just got back from the gym and saw this. Good job.

[@lizashush]

The laugh at 1:12 made me feel wierdly uncomfortable, especially because I had an urge to laugh too

[@DavidBrice]

Inspiring talk.

[@austinmoody1609]

I think we need more Mayor like Mick Cornett.

[@innazhurav9622]

Вот как, оказывается, инфраструктура может влиять на образ жизни людей. Кто бы мог подумать. Гениально! Отличная речь!

[@IntelligentElephant]

this is second or third time i ever seen my mayor. glad he's my mayor and they JUST built the sidewalks by my house

[@Palash2993]

Superb talk .. amazing speaker .. great cause :)

[@gelyatube]

Good talk !

[@anthonydaniel-ti6dw]

Nice TEDx talk, it delves into possible strategies for improving public health. Quite insightful. Thanks mayor..

[@8acun]

This guy has so many good speaking qualities... he's really quite captivating.. regardless of what he's saying.

[@GotenTrunks2122]

Cool stuff TED

[@chuckwagon9973]

Coolest. Mayor. Ever.

[@aaronbell5994]

That ending comment thou! :D

[@derekonlinenow777]

Nice and Cool Speaker!

[@LukasLindwasser]

inspiring

[@nessmalone]

The Wrath of Grapes!!! I love that!!!

[@triniguy999]

I love how he did his tie. I wonder what kind of knot it is lol

[@nuvamusic]

Lol... The Grapes of Wrath/ The Wrath of Grapes... I enjoyed his talk. A diligent Major doing a great job with his town. Now, if only Oklahoma had California's weather and beaches...:P

[@maryclaudiapitman]

I LOVED this!! Go OKC We all need to take a page...but what happened? USA is still top 3 in the world for obesity

[@ge2719]

inspiring story. Although i wonder what will happen if every city in america does something about obesity. Will the magazines stop publishing the fattest list and only print the fittest ranking. Some places will always be fattest by comparison to others. Although before they worry about that they need to stop using BMI

[@Roont3]

I agree, BMI isn't great. I know several people whose BMI does not represent their state of health at all. It doesn't work in every case. However, it's the only one that's as easy to gather as three pieces of data that every person tends to know about themselves: Age, weight, and height. And while BMI is a very poor indicator for some people, it is correct for the majority. So for big scale stuff, it's a practical one to use.

[@ge2719]

well first off we shouldn't go by what someone thinks their height and weight is. they could be 2-3lb off based on whether they ate or drank vs went the bathroom before weighing in. But also age doesn't factor into BMI. What should be factored in is waist circumference and then we get a calculation that is far more accurate for everyone.

[@Roont3]

Oops, my bad. I meant GENDER, weight, and height. Yeah, waist measurements could be much better. I'm not a fan of BMI as a measurement of much of anything.

[@EvaAnika]

Us humans are amazing. Everybody in OKC knew they needed to lose weight. But it was almost like they were waiting for leadership. When leadership spoke, and everyone was on the same page, people got excited in their households and workplaces and communities getting fit. I think as humans we are social creatures and we are more inspired when we are doing things together. Even when things benefit us personally, we are better when we are together. Psychologists, explain this to me. Why don't we just do things because they are good for us?

[@Dazbog373]

All that American fat will come in handy once we run out of fossil fuels!

[@oakenguitar3]

we'll just put a giant solar ring on the moon when that happens and beam the energy back to earth with radio waves and lasers.

[@ismaeel747]

oakenguitar3 Because that is efficient.... XD

[@oakenguitar3]

look up shimizu corporation, they're proposing to build a lunar ring on the moon near 2035. From what I've read, it should be able to help solve our energy needs of the future and it would be clean energy as well. Sometimes you have to take big steps to solve big problems.

[@ismaeel747]

Just think about the massive energy loss during transmission it would clearly be more efficient to place solar panels on the earth in a location such as a desert and connect them with wires

[@pecabokem4345]

ismaeel747 And how would we keep the sand from blocking the panels? Maybe we could place them in tundras, but even then solar panels on earth are unreliable, since they require a clear sky and don't work for a full 24-hours.

[@KwynM]

I'm definitely for this. Also fitness and health are not tied in the way people think. The food culture needs to change as well as the activity culture. This has a bunch of positives, but we can not over look the issue of dietary health. Problem is it's so argued about what is ideal that we can never agree upon a standard that fits science.

[@Mithon81]

Why should be bicker over what's ideal? Can't we settle for cutting the worst things. Diet doesn't need to be perfect, just reasonably healthy is good enough for most non-athletes.

[@Yaimah00]

I like this guy

[@TheGerogero]

Pedestrian friendliness is the shit.

[@cadenyoung9968]

This is such a fascinating guy. Though I have such different views on cultural issues (I am pro-choice), I think it’s great that he wants to improve infrastructure. He’s also dedicated lots of funding to inner city schools and improving walkability. With a tax. I totally support that, and it seems so odd for a Republican politician. And don’t forget about him promoting health. That’s honestly the best way to lower healthcare costs. So much good stuff.

[@aaronbell5994]

Whether it's in designing a product, inventing a new sport, or making a fine-a** meal, I'm going to focus on the person receiving the thing over the thing the thing itself :D

[@pja6906]

Absolutely love that ! how refreshing :D

[@charmquark4287]

1:28 cool wHeat

[@howarthe1]

I love sidewalks!

[@jakovbrizic]

ovo je komičan gradonačelnik... naš gradonačelnik je, nažalost, komedijaš. razlika postoji.

[@sexyamaka123]

A part of the world is dying of hunger... another part is trying to lose weight because they have too much. The world we live in.

[@DivFmx]

What are you trying to say?

[@amerzubaidi]

Liked it....but hoped for some pictures to relate to...

[@samsterlicious864]

he doesnt talk about diet at all in this video and said 1 sentence about making the infrastructure more bike friendly.

[@IntelligentElephant]

sam greene whats your point? diet diet diet, that help ya out?

[@samsterlicious864]

my point is he's either ignorant or bought and sold by sugar interests. do i need to hold your hand more

[@DollaramaShopper]

London? Oh, nevermind...

[@neogigo]

I’m from the future everybody gained the weight back

[@giorgiotzole4426]

Σε πολλα video υπαρχει μεταφραση σε Αλβανικα και λοιπει???μεταφραση στα Ελληνικα.Φυλτραρεται σε επιπεδα ολοκληροτισμου καθε κοματι γνωσης και ενημερωσης του ντοπιου πληθυσμου.Αν ειναι εφικτο καντε κατι

[@djentile7773]

They opened a British casino.

[@crazyboutGALE]

Nice job! Anyone moving from CA is hopefully a conservative - and good riddance. If they're not right wing or religious, they'll probably be returning. But I do think it's great that people there are able to do something healthy together.

[@matthewbartke4424]

They wanted to make Oklahoma City a place where businesses want to be by building stadiums on the Tax Payer's dime and that seemed to improve the economy? Ummm... that is temporary and not supported by the market. Those huge projects seem to help the economy because a huge amount of time and resources are necessary to make it happen, but once it is built, all you have is a stadium that nobody wanted enough to build on their own and like many stadiums will be a long-term money sieve.

[@Toastmaster_5000]

That CAN be true, but considering Oklahoma City's growing population and economy, it could actually end up being used. I get the impression the city has a decent education system, so I'm sure they can put use to such recreational structures.

[@eugen9611]

if you build your life to fit the market you will end up living a shitty life, we should design our world to make us live a good life, economy is just a tool that we use to do it

[@NiteSaiya]

Except they've done a good job of filling the stadium and getting people to use what they built. They didn't build a bridge to nowhere.

[@Davidnprogress2]

Matticus must not know much about OKC and the long term impacts these projects had on the economy. In our case the investment has been worth it. The market supported with new business and growth now in the billions. The money was voted for starting 20 years ago and we keep growing. I would call that some good long term results.

[@RBurns80]

Well, I think Mick Cornett is assuming correlation is causation. The reason Oklahoma City is doing well is exactly the reason it was doing well in the 1970's. The oil and gas industry is doing very well. If the price of oil drops like it did in the 1980's and 1990's. The economy of Oklahoma City would tank. People aren't moving here because of our downtown. They are moving here for jobs. California is doing all those things Mick is talking about, but young educated people are leaving there in droves. Its a nice story, but its all bullcrap.

[@allonfollett8416]

Who's fat? Y'ooooooooooooooooh!

[@Jayremy89]

Patting oneself on the back. A politician, go figure. Idiots that think they can solve everything with extorted money from individuals. Not saying he is one of the "bad" politicians, i'll reserve that judgment but most politicians are garbage of people- they do more harm that good. In the private sector, they wouldn't be worth hiring or would go bankrupt as business owners. To add though, he is a republican who respects the free market. One could expect well if he was true to his word will always make better decisions. on managing cities. It's not about doing a shit-ton more or controlling people, but being their to help, help direct needs and be fiscally responsible.

[@codyallensiebert]

No congestion anywhere?? Hah! Sell that one somewhere else. Drive dwn 35 after 4pm mr mayor..... smh

[@RBurns80]

Secondly, I think Mick Cornett is being selective in some of his statistics, or is manipulating them. In 2011 and 2012 there was a decline in the obesity rate in Oklahoma. But 2013 is higher than its ever been. Oklahoma City might not mirror that obesity rate exactly. But it could be more from a result of demographic changes, rather than people actually losing weight. For instance, I think Oklahoma city proper is getting younger. I don't think its getting thinner. Unless it is a result of our abundance of meth addicts.

[@FearlessCitizen]

How many Indians were murdered so they could have a land run on their land? I did not find his intro story amusing.

[@AlexanderPallares]

Zero, The place Oklahoma City was built on was uninhabited.

[@alexandercoffman8319]

@ At sacramenteens, True but to also tell you thee truth and thee whole truth, just acknowledging something is not good enough.

[@alexandercoffman8319]

@ At sacramenteens, You are close but no cigar. But I will at least give you partial credit, when I say that you are more near than far.

[@alexandercoffman8319]

@ At Acrolyte, I did not find his intro story amusing as well, but I guess that is why they call it History. [ His - Story ]

[@theultimatereductionist7592]

How do something important & real, like get people to go vegan to end the forced breeding & murder of billions of animals in factory farms & the meat industry? Stop forcing YOUR lifestyles onto the innocent animals.