Built environment

The term built environment refers to human-made conditions and is often used in architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, public health, sociology, and anthropology, among others.[1][2][3][4][5][6] These curated spaces provide the setting for human activity and were created to fulfill human desires and needs.[7] The term can refer to a plethora of components including the traditionally associated buildings, cities, public infrastructure, transportation, open space, as well as more conceptual components like farmlands, dammed rivers, wildlife management, and even domesticated animals.[7]

High-rise structures and major highway infrastructure as an example of the built environment in Dubai, UAE.
Part of the built environment: suburban tract housing in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The built environment is made up of physical features. However, when studied, the built environment often highlights the connection between physical space and social consequences.[4] It impacts the environment[8] and how society physically maneuvers and functions, as well as less tangible aspects of society such as socioeconomic inequity and health. Various aspects of the built environment contribute to scholarship on housing and segregation, physical activity, food access, climate change, and environmental racism.[9][10][11]


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This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Built environment, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.