How the biophilic design social movement informs planning, policy and professional practice

Abstract

Background A new social movement called biophilic design has emerged over recent decades to enable greater connection between nature and urban populations to make biodiversity and natural systems a part of daily life in cities. Understanding the origins of this social movement can inform further progression, implementation and planning of biophilic design.

Results The research methodology of immersion and heuristic inquiry within the social movement was used to create interviews with key people in the social movement’s origin and subsequent delivery. The results are presented using the three stages of a social movement: emergence, coalescence and mainstreaming. In each stage there are particular motivators and drivers that provide impetus to the movement which are outlined based on the responses of the participants.

Conclusions The results were applied to the three stages of the social movement and translated into a framework of ten actions for mainstreaming the implementation of biophilic design into urban planning and policy as well as into professional practice.