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September 2003, Vol 93, No. 9 | American Journal of Public Health 1390-1394
© 2003 American Public Health Association

GOVERNMENT, POLITICS, AND LAW

The Built Environment and Its Relationship to the Public’s Health: The Legal Framework

Wendy Collins Perdue, JD, Lesley A. Stone, JD and Lawrence O. Gostin, JD, LLD (Hon)

The authors are with the Georgetown University Law Center.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Wendy Collins Perdue, 600 New Jersey Ave, Washington, DC, 20001 (e-mail: perdue{at}law.georgetown.edu).

The built environment significantly affects the public’s health. This was most obvious when infectious disease was the primary public health threat during the industrial revolution; unsanitary conditions and overcrowded urban areas facilitated the spread of infection.

However, even today in the age of chronic diseases there remains an important connection between population health and the built environment. Physical spaces can expose people to toxins or pollutants and influence lifestyles that contribute to diabetes, coronary vascular disease, and asthma.

Public health advocates can help shape the design of cities and suburbs in ways that improve public health, but to do so effectively they need to understand the legal framework. This article reviews the connection between public health and the built environment and then describes the legal pathways for improving the design of our built environment.




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