Our Built and Natural Environments: A Technical Review of the Interactions Among Land Use, Transportation, and Environmental Quality (second ed)

Decisions about how and where we build our communities have significant impacts on the natural environment and on human health. Cities, regions, states, and the private sector need information about the environmental effects of their land use and transportation decisions to mitigate growthrelated environmental impacts and to improve community quality of life and human health.

This report:

• Discusses the status of and trends in land use, development, and transportation and their environmental implications.
• Articulates the current understanding of the relationship between the built environment and the quality of air, water, land resources, habitat, and human health.
• Provides evidence that certain kinds of land use and transportation strategies can reduce the environmental and human health impacts of development.

Keywords: built environment, development, urbanization, transportation, roads, parking, water, infrastructure, transit, habitat loss, habitat degradation, habitat fragmentation, water resources, stream hydrology, air quality, health, heat island effect, scenario planning