Behavioral Choices and the Built Environment

Abstract

Conditions in the built environment can directly affect health and can indirectly affect health by influencing behavioral choices. The environment is not the only determinant of behavioral choices; it acts together with other factors including cultural preferences, economic incentives, and social cues.(If you give them a sidewalk, they still may not walk.) Current social trends include behavioral choices aimed at health (such as quitting smoking) and behavioral choices aimed at environmental sustainability (such as recycling). The built environment can foster choices that advance both goals (such as walking instead of driving). Behavioral change strategies that complement changes to the built environment include education, regulation, market mechanisms, and social marketing.