Interconnections Between People and Their Natural Environments

Abstract

 Progressing from Chap. 5 that investigated the longer history of humans and nature, through the narrative of Indigenous knowledge systems, this chapter explores the phenomena of Biophilia, the innate tendency of our human attraction to nature. It brings the narrative to a culmination within the contemporary context of our current twenty-first century, reflecting on the vast and complex interconnections and patterns between people and their natural environments, through the lens of a nature language. Further, the chapter highlights the issues of the declining health and well-being of urbanites, noting the need for human-nature connections by establishing future Biophilic Cities (Beatley, Biophilic cities. Washington, DC: Island Press, 2011). The principles of biophilic design practice are explored through the 15 biophilic design patterns, identifying the key requirements of improving both physiological and psychological well-being resulting in a deeper embedded human-nature affiliation. The chapter concludes with the fundamental pattern Love For Nature [6], stipulating an emphasis on the need to apply this deep affiliation with nature to our design practice.