Wakefield, Julie. “Fighting Obesity Through the Built Environment.” Environmental Health Perspectives 112.11 (2004): A616–A618. Print.
Obesity in America is a growing epidemic. Although genetics plays a role in the occurrence of obesity, the rapid spread of the epidemic within the last 30 years has caused researchers and architects alike to extract a main component from that spread: the environment of the individual. The introduction of a built environment could be a solution to help dwindle those rising numbers. Architectural companies want to integrate spaces into the built environment that allow more physical activity. More physical activity (especially in nature) can help induce society to spend more time being outside and exercising. There are also companies (Nike being one of them) that are to produce more “active” products such as a FitBit to show that there are initiatives for increased physical activity and to keep track of the progress.
“Built Environment- LEED, Energy Star and EarthCraft.” N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.
The growth of energy-efficient buildings in Atlanta has quantified tremendously. The newer buildings that are taking heed to energy preservation are the Falcons Stadium and the College Football Hall of fame, to name a few. Philips Arena is also the first NBA stadium to obtain its LEED certification. The certification was presented to the stadium in 2009, less than a decade ago. Atlanta is currently in the top 10 for energy-efficient buildings which include LEED and Energy Star. Atlanta is also second in the nation when it comes to LEED-certified event spacing. The booming metropolitan city has 6.5 million square feet that are covered by the energy-efficient buildings, stadiums, and spaces.
Satcher, David et al. “Impact of the Built Environment on Mental and Sexual Health: Policy Implications and Recommendations, Impact of the Built Environment on Mental and Sexual Health: Policy Implications and Recommendations.” International Scholarly Research Notices, International Scholarly Research Notices 2012, 2012 (2012): e806792. www.hindawi.com. Web.
Since the built environment is created by humans, the placement of buildings and the specific uses of them can be potentially harmful physiologically. The majority of many American’s time is spent at work where the daily hustle of bustle of their circumstances can be extremely influenced by their environment. If there are more places to be active in the environment, studies have shown that this has led to more social interaction outside which can be a positive reinforcer for mental health and decreased depression. Studies have also shown that built environment with low-income facilities that have no medical reinforcement nearby can contribute to advanced sexual tendencies in adolescents and teenagers. Enforcing such medical and policing (patrol) policies can be a determining factor in how advanced a certain built environment could potentially be and could bring about positive reform in the mental, sexual, and physical aspects.
“Landscape Fairness: Removing Discrimination from the Built Environment.” N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.
The factor of discrimination has come into play in many different built environments across the globe. Having a highway separating different ethnicities can be extreme in cultivating the type of income level and amount of poverty on each side of the highway. Also, having certain metro markings (e.g. transit stations, bus stops, etc.) located only in higher-income areas reduces the chances of poverty-stricken subjects which are typically African-American from crossing into the higher-income areas. This type of discrimination can be traced back for centuries which shows how lethal the separating of ethnicities can be and how this discrimination can actually slow down the process of integration in society versus furthering it and bettering the wellbeing of humanity as a whole.