The built environment includes all of the physical parts of where we live and work (e.g., homes, buildings, streets, open spaces, and infrastructure). The built environment touches all aspects of our lives including the distribution systems that provide us with water and electricity and the roads, bridges, and transportation systems we use to get from place to place.

It can generally be described as the man-made or modified structures that provide people with living, working and recreational spaces. Creating all these spaces and systems requires enormous quantities of materials. (Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)