It's Time for Public Gyms

Sustainable recreation for all!

In my experience, most commercial gyms leave a lot to be desired. They typically have too many fancy amenities and complex machines that nobody uses and not enough basic squat racks, and their equipment often falls into disrepair. They are also typically expensive, with a variety of random fees tacked-on to monthly dues, and they often make canceling your membership into a frustrating and complex quest. That is why we need a system of public gyms run for the people, by the people.

As much as possible, I think we should be moving towards public and collective ownership of large and expensive equipment that when privately owned mostly sits idle, such as cars, power tools, and fitness equipment. Many public libraries already offer tool libraries in a limited capacity that we can build from. People can check out this equipment when they need to use it, and this saves significant energy, materials, space, and consumer costs. Public gyms with free membership would be efficient and equitable because they house large, expensive, materially intensive equipment that many people can use a few times per week rather than individually buying and storing them at home.

An estimated 22% of US gyms have closed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Where possible, municipalities could start by buying closed or struggling gyms, or at least buying their equipment. These public gyms could be run like public libraries, free to use and publicly funded, and your library card could also be your gym membership card. Ideally the federal government would permanently back such a program with a pool of funding, or in the meantime municipal governments could use progressive taxes. 

There are fewer and fewer places where people can congregate without spending money, and fewer and fewer robust public goods. Public gyms could expand both, offering a place where people can exercise, play sports, take group classes, enjoy a sauna, and have fun together. They could have cafes and spas and be entirely staffed by well-paid, unionized public employees.

Recreational facilities like this are not typically what comes to mind when we talk about sustainability or a just transition, but this type of public leisure is the building block of where we need to go. It incentivizes public health, community bonds, and activities that are low-emissions and not materially intensive.

We deserve public gyms, and even in a time of stunted political imagination, this seems eminently doable. With the pandemic still raging, it is a good time to start laying the policy groundwork to roll them out. If any enterprising government official needs a Gym Czar to get it started, hit me up.