The environment and health specialization integrates knowledge and tools from the fields of environmental management and public health to better understand how the management of the built environment influences human and ecosystem health.

Human health criteria are increasingly employed in the design and management of the built environment. The environment and health specialization explores the physical pathways through which land use and urban design influence environmental quality, and how environmental quality, in turn, influences human health.

Contemporary examples of environment and health planning include climate-responsive design, health impact assessment, green building, brownfield redevelopment, renewable energy planning, and urban agriculture. In light of the highly interdisciplinary nature of the environment and health specialization, coursework is designed to emphasize the scientific and regulatory foundations of environmental management and public health, analytical tools to measure environment and health interactions, and the design and implementation of policies to improve health and ecosystem outcomes associated with the built environment.

School graduates with expertise in environment and health planning are prepared for employment in a number of areas. Traditional areas of employment include private firms, as consultants to a range of land development activities, and all levels of government, as policy analysts, regulators, and as sustainability program directors or managers.