{"id":21660,"date":"2017-05-29T16:48:17","date_gmt":"2017-05-29T20:48:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/?p=21660"},"modified":"2017-05-29T16:48:17","modified_gmt":"2017-05-29T20:48:17","slug":"biophilias-place-integrated-approach-urban-planning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/2017\/05\/29\/biophilias-place-integrated-approach-urban-planning\/","title":{"rendered":"Biophilia’s Place in an Integrated Approach to Urban Planning"},"content":{"rendered":"

A review of the Handbook of Biophilic City Planning and Design,<\/strong> by Timothy Beatley. 2017. ISBN 978-1-61091-620-2. Island Press, Washington. 289 pages.<\/em>\u00a0Buy the book.<\/a>\"\"<\/em><\/p>\n

The term \u201cbiophilia\u201d describes our positive and innate response to the key features of the natural world that are thought to have been associated with our survival in the early stages of our evolution as a species. Foremost amongst these features are biodiversity itself; clean and, ideally, flowing water; semi-wooded landscapes; and places in which we can obtain both vantage over our surroundings and refuge against attack.<\/p>\n

To those new to the concept of biophilic urbanism, this excellent handbook will be eye-opening. To practitioners and green urbanism theorists, there is much by way of useful, global information.<\/blockquote><\/figure> The term biophilia was first coined by the social psychologist Erich Fromm in 1973 in The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness; but it was E.O. Wilson, the eminent evolutionary biologist, who truly developed it and placed it centre stage in the global literature (see Biophilia, Wilson, 1989). The concept was elaborated further and in more critical fashion in 1993\u2019s The Biophilia Hypothesis, a book that Wilson co-authored with the late-lamented social ecologist Stephen Kellert. From that date, Kellert and a variety of other authors and practitioners advanced the whole concept, firmly integrating our current understanding of biophilic responses into a philosophy and approach of intentional design (see, for example, Biophilic Design by Kellert, Heerwagen, and Mador, 2008).<\/p>\n

\"\"Over the past decade, Professor Tim Beatley and his network of researchers and affiliates have continued to advance the biophilic design concept (previously applied by others to, for example, buildings, institutions, single gardens, and other features) up to the city scale. Tim Beatley has taught at the University of Virginia for over 30 years. He has had a long-term interest in the key issues of urban sustainability, resilience, human health, and well-being; therefore, he is appropriately prepared to map out the relationship between these issues and biophilic design in theory and practice.<\/p>\n

In his book, Biophilic Cities: Integrating Nature into Urban Planning and Design<\/em>, published in 2011, Professor Beatley set out the concept of biophilic cities and took the first steps towards defining what a biophilic city is and how it performs. He subsequently explored an interesting sub-sector of city-nature relationships in his 2014 book, Blue Urbanism<\/em><\/a>, in which he discusses the relationship between the inhabitants of coastal cities and the world\u2019s oceans\u2014where environmental degradation is reaching levels that should be cause for extreme concern. Three years on and Professor Beatley’s has produced the Handbook of Biophilic City Planning and Design<\/em>, moving the biophilic city concept an additional step in the direction of an integrated approach to urban design. He has based the work in part on the experience gained from the study of the first cities to join the Biophilic Cities Network, which he established in 2013.<\/p>\n

\"\"
An Oslo park. Photo: Tim Beatley.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The book has four parts, the first of which is a concise summary of the biophilic city concept with intriguing, evidence-based updates, including the introduction of the useful unifying concept of the \u201curban nature diet\u201d. The second and third sections form the bulk of the book and describe the biophilic characteristics of eight cities in the Biophilic Cities Network; they also examine what it means to be a biophilic city in relation to, variously: strategies and urban planning codes, citizen science and community engagement, architecture and design, the challenges of restoring and reintroducing nature, and the catchall of \u201cother strategies\u201d. The book concludes with a review of the \u201ckey lessons\u201d to date, the \u201cremaining challenges\u201d and a vision of the future. In essence, the book follows the Churchillian principles of speech delivery: \u201cTell them what you are going to say. Say it. Then tell them what you said\u201d. On the whole, this strategy works well, though the conclusion is less powerful than the introductory third of the book.<\/p>\n

Whilst Professor Beatley does not expressly characterise the nature of the intended readership for the book, the implication is that the book is for anyone interested in the theory and practice of urban planning and design, social welfare in urban areas, the state of the environment, and the loss of biodiversity in what is now often called the Anthropocene era. I find it notable that authorship of about a fifth of the book is attributed to other parties listed in the Acknowledgements, many of whom are Beatley\u2019s present or former students. This may well have facilitated delivery of the book, but it leads to a somewhat weaker and less systematic treatment of certain case studies in places.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Singapore park connector. Photo: Tim Beatley.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Two particular strengths of the book are worth emphasising at the outset. First, I appreciated Professor Beatley’s writing style, which is economical, clear, fluid, and organised, with effective use of sub-headings. The careful way in which he has documented his visits to cities around the world and his discussions with key urban practitioners that he has met along the way is impressive; in this respect, the chapters on Singapore (where I have done much project work) and Oslo (which I have sadly never visited, but now very much want to visit after reading the book) particularly excel.<\/p>\n

Second, he draws his case studies from a suitably wide geographic range. Clearly, his intention is to convey the gamut of material and issues related to biophilia, planning, and design within a small volume; in that regard, the volume is a real success as a succinct, wide-ranging handbook.<\/p>\n

Key patterns that emerged clearly from the book (supported by many strong examples) include:<\/p>\n