Improving health by improving the environments in which we live.
The built environment refers to the human-made or modified physical surroundings in which people live, work, and play. These places and spaces include our homes, communities, schools, workplaces, parks/recreational areas, business areas, and transportation systems, and vary in size from large-scale urban areas to smaller rural developments.
How we design our communities is vitally important to our health and well-being. Planning decisions such as zoning, transportation systems and community design significantly influence health. Consider, for instance, the distances people must travel to work, the convenience of buying healthy foods, or the safety of a park: these factors can promote good nutrition, physical activity and increase leisure time. The outcome can be better mental and physical health.
Our Healthy Built Environment program works to promote health by collaborating with municipal planners, community organizations and other stakeholders. More specifically, Environmental Health is expanding on their traditional regulatory roles to include the broader public health perspective, such as:
