76 Economic dimensions and socio-cultural patterns
These values and patterns lead to two key spatial principles useful for plan-
ning. Nature attracts or repels, or is appreciated at a distance. And different
cultures coexist somewhat separately in an urban region. A wise spatial arrange-
ment of nature and people can sustain the diverse urban-region population.Biophilia and the building
This book on urban regions only lightly touches fine-scale patterns such
as house lots and towns. Yet one very-fine-scale pattern, the building, illustrates
an especially important linkage between nature and culture. People in buildings
can be effectively cut off from nature. Especially for people working day after
day, or during long periods of recovery from illness, that disconnect appears to
be significant (Kellert and Wilson1993,Kellert2005). Research studies indicate
that linkages with nature improve human health and recovery from illness,
improve mental well-being and ‘‘quality of life,” enhance worker satisfaction
and productivity, and reduce stress (Ulrich 1984, Orr 2002, Frumkinet al.2004,
Stephen Kellert, personal communication).
These patterns seem to be associated withbiophilia,theinherent human affin-
ity for nature, whereby people evolved with, fundamentally depend on, and are
inspired by nature (Wilson1984). All this has spawnedbiophilic designthinking
(Kellertet al.2007). Buildings not only can minimize adverse environmental and
human health effects (e.g., the so-called LEED design approach in architecture),
but equally important, buildings and landscapes foster human health, perfor-
mance, and productivity by enhancing connections to the natural environment.
Yetbiophilic design is not simply anthropocentric. ‘‘Bringing buildings to
life” offers significant benefit to nature itself. For example, structures can be
designed to: provide habitat for targeted rare species; enhance surrounding nat-
ural systems; serve as stepping stones for species movement across a built area;
attract a richness of fine-scale nature or small species on the texture of build-
ing surfaces; and even educate people for nature protection elsewhere. Since
buildings may exist by the hundreds of thousands or more in urban regions,
thecumulative positive effect of biophilic design could be quite remarkable.Urban agriculture
Urban agriculturerefers to the growing of food in and close to cities,
though commercial flower growing is sometimes included in the concept
(Ponting 1991 ,SmitandNasr1992,Jacobiet al.2000). Urban agriculture may
occur on any suitable site, including window boxes, balconies, rooftops, tem-
porarily vacant spaces, community gardens (allotments) in designated public
spaces, market-gardening areas (truck farms), remnant suburban or peri-urban