Built Environment

In social science, the term built environment refers to the man-made surroundings that provide the setting for human activity, ranging in scale from buildings and parks. It has been defined as "the humanitarian-made space in which people live, work, and recreate on a day-to-day basis." The "built environment encompasses places and spaces created or modified by people including buildings, parks, and transportation systems." In recent years,public health research has expanded the definition of "built environment" to include healthy food access, community gardens,mental health, "walkability" and "bikeability."

Early concepts of built environment date to Classical Antiquity: Hippodamus of Miletos, known as the "father of urban planning," developed Greek cities from 498 BC to 408 BC that created order by using grid plans that mapped the city. These early city plans eventually gave way to the City Beautiful movement in the late 1800s and early 1900s, inspired by Daniel Hudson Burnham, a reformist for the Progressivism movement who actively promoted "a reform of the landscape in tandem with political change." The effort was in partnership with others who believed that beautifying American cities would improve the moral compass of the cities and encourage the upper class to spend their money in cities. This beautification process included parks and architectural design. By mid-century modernist "indifferent" design influenced the character of work and public spaces, followed by what Alexander describes as a late twentieth century "revival of interest relating to the concept of place (including the built environment), and its relevance to mental health and other fields of study."

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