Built Environment

The built environment includes our homes, schools, workplaces, parks/recreation areas, business areas, and roads. It extends overhead in the form of electric transmission lines, underground in the form of waste disposal sites and subway trains, and across the country in the form of highways.

The built environment encompasses all buildings, spaces, and products that are created or modified by people. It impacts indoor and outdoor physical environments (e.g., weather conditions and indoor/outdoor air quality), as well as social environments (e.g., civic participation, community capacity and investment) and subsequently our health and quality of life.

Health in All Policies 

Health in All Policies (HiAP) is a collaborative approach that integrates and articulates health considerations into policymaking across sectors to improve the health of communities and people. HiAP recognizes that health is created by a multitude of factors beyond health care and, in many cases, beyond the scope of traditional public health activities. 

The National Prevention Strategy provides a HiAP framework to guide our nation in the most effective and achievable means for improving health and well-being. It integrates recommendations and actions across multiple settings to focus on both increasing the length of people’s lives and ensuring that their lives are healthy and productive.

The broad goal of achieving better health has resulted in a call to action across the country that encompasses everything from promoting healthy behaviors to creating environments that make it easier to exercise and access healthy foods.