Biophilic design comes from biophilia, which literally means a love of nature but also recognizes human dependency on nature. The concept was popularized by Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson, and Yale social ecologist Stephen Kellert. Design activates biophilia by creating equitable places of everyday life, where people and nature intersect, beginning in early childhood.
Research strongly suggests that nature has multiple positive impacts on health and wellbeing across the human lifecycle and promotes caring for the planet and each other. Sixty years ago, Only One Earth was published, warning us to care for the health of our biosphere and the deadly consequences of not doing so – now looming. The good news is that international treaties and conventions developed, expanded, and refined over the last several decades can now empower action.
Inspiring international examples, design strategies, principles, and practices, at the building, site, neighborhood, and city scale will focus on biophilic design thinking applied to urban neighborhoods, parks and playgrounds, child development centers and schools, streets and greenways, health facilities, and multi-use commercial districts. The growing body of research will be translated into human centered design action to restore and conserve nature in daily life. Landscape architects, architects, planners, park and recreation professionals, and others involved may see themselves as cultural change agents and planetary lifeguards supporting human evolution in a healthy, equitable direction.
