Abstract
Biophilic design and planning principles are increasingly applied at all scales, from buildings to neighborhoods to cities and regions. Residents of cities with extensive tree canopy, access to greenspaces, and urban biodiversity, experience a host of positive benefits including lower levels of stress, improved mental health, and improved quality of life. This chapter discusses biophilic design at the architectural scale (using the example of Interface Headquarters, designed by Perkins and Will), the city scale (examining Atlanta, Georgia), and beyond city limits to a regional and global context. The notion of pushing biophilic design further than a reliance on urban parks, and thinking of nature as simply medicine for people is discussed. To conclude, the chapter makes the case that we need to place nature, and contact with the natural world, at the center of design and planning and that a more extensive exploration of the ethical underpinnings of biophilic cities is needed.