What is a Biophilic City?

A buzzword gaining considerable traction in recent years, the 'biophilic city' is a concept pioneered by Timothy Beatley. It draws upon the biophilia hypothesis, encapsulating the belief that humans have an inherent need to connect with nature in our everyday lives. Beatley laments how past efforts on environmental sustainability within cities were fixated on energy efficiency and clean energy, overlooking the fundamental element of nature.

A biophilic city, as Beatley describes, extends far beyond enhancing biodiversity in urban areas. It represents a fundamental shift in perspective: putting nature at the heart of urban design and planning. Biophilic urbanism learns from, incorporates, protects, and promotes nature in cities - ultimately strengthening our social capital while fortifying our resilience against climatic and human shocks.

Biophilic Cities Network logo (Source: Biophilic Cities Network)

Beatley founded the Biophilic Cities Network, which collaborates with planners, researchers and activists in partner cities around the world to realize their joint vision of "connecting cities and nature". The Network currently has 24 partner cities, with more governments and communities coming onboard and embracing this vision.

Check out this introductory video below and explore the Biophilic Cities website which boasts an impressive library of resources showcasing exciting rewilding projects around the world.

Video: Introduction of the Biophilic Cities Network and its vision by founder Timothy Beatley (Source: Biophilic Cities Network)

"From cities that contain nature, to cities embedded in nature"

Timothy Beatley, Founder of Biophilic Cities

Professor of Sustainable Communities, University of Virginia

Vitoria-Gasteiz in Spain, a partner city since 2013, with one of the highest greenspace per capita rates in Europe (Source: Biophilic Cities Network)

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Introducing our case study

A signature model of the biophilic city is Singapore, a partner city since 2013. Singapore devised a world-renowned repertoire of biophilic policies to safeguard its natural heritage despite mounting pressures of land shortages and population growth.

In my next post, I shall conduct a deep dive into the successes and challenges of Singapore's journey of biophilic urbanism towards a 'City in a Garden'.

As a precursor, check out this compilation of Timothy Beatley and Peter Newman examining examples of biophilic urbanism in Singapore.

Singapore: Biophilic City - A compilation by Peter Newman (CUSP Institute) and Timothy Beatley (University of Virginia) on examples of biophilic urbanism in Singapore (Source: Linda Blagg)