Do you ever wonder why the buildings in your neighborhood were built? The built environment is our surroundings, which include buildings, homes, parks and other spaces around us and even in us. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) describes it as the manufactured structures that provides us with spaces to live work and for recreational activities. The built environment has an impact and influences the health of the community and health behaviors. For example, if there aren’t any parks or recreational spaces in a community, it lacks the promotion of physical activity. This may lead to poor health habits and choices. It may also lead to a prevalent amount of obesity or diabetes in the community.

Another way the built environment may impact the community is through the use of structural materials used to build homes, buildings, and parks or even the land it may be built on. If a community is built in an unsanitary area in which has not been clean out, it can lead to toxic chemicals building up and causing illnesses throughout the community. It can also cause acidic chemicals which can damage or destroy the community pavements, houses and areas.

The built environment is concerned the way things are built and the architecture of them. If there are open spaces in which people are dumping trash, they have a large effect on not only the community, but also the environment. It can lead to the development of hazardous chemicals, which impacts the built environment and everyone living in it. This can cause an outbreak of diseases and illnesses which can have an harsh image on the built environment.