Public health and regulation of the built environment

The earliest public health statutes contrived to develop effective controls of the excesses of the rapid urban development that accompanied the industrial revolution. By the end of the 20th century, much responsibility for the regulation of the built environment has been dispersed across government and in so doing has moved beyond the gaze of everyday public health concern. This paper argues firstly that there is a strong justification for greater public health involvement in the ongoing regulation of the built environment and secondly that a much broader range of health impacts needs to be considered in the conception of these regulatory measures.