ABSTRACT
Urban designers have long understood that built form influences human behavior, not by way of environmental determinism but rather through environmental possibilism. The design qualities of places make some activities possible and easy to undertake and other activities impossible or difficult. Spatial design can invite, welcome, and encourage certain behaviors and discourage others. In recent years, a growing interest in how built form relates to public health has emerged in the planning and public health fields, particularly the relationship with chronic diseases such as obesity and depression, which are becoming more prevalent in western societies. In the United States, childhood obesity affects so many young people that it has been identified as an epidemic, and there is also considerable alarm about adult obesity. In many individuals, obesity has been found to correlate with low levels of physical activity. Given the scale of the chronic obesity problem, might built form be a culprit, particularly the automobile-oriented cities and neighborhoods that dominate so much of the American landscape?
