Washington, DC (August 2011) — The way in which we construct our built environment—from a single building to a neighborhood to an entire region—affects the health of humans and the natural environment in myriad ways. Haphazard development patterns and unhealthy buildings have contributed to skyrocketing obesity rates, an increasing number of asthma cases, environmental degradation, eroding neighborhood relationships, and unpredictable and dangerous changes to our climate, among other consequences.