ABSTRACT
As presented in this chapter, the broad area of concern over the modified environment in a community is often called the built environment. This encompasses the physical elements and structures where people spend their days and includes buildings, green spaces, sidewalks, vehicle and pedestrian traffic, watersheds, powerlines, and internal environment between members of a community. These built structures and their conditions of use can have beneficial as well as detrimental impacts on a community’s well-being and its individuals. Central to how the built environment is designed and how it is now being used to improve human and ecological health are several policy tools: comprehensive plans, zoning codes, building codes, and subdivision regulations, which are available exclusively to local and regional government organizations. The U.S. federal government’s gradual entry into planning of built environments became significant when public health representation was absent from planning forums. A seminal consideration in policies relevant to the built environment is how to make building more energy efficient for purposes of lessening impacts on climate change. Another important consideration is how to build transportation systems that are less disruptive to social structures and more protective of environmental quality.
