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Although urbanization has its perks , staying in touch with our roots might not be one of them . However , biophilic design might be the solution , writes Genevieve Reiner

The concept of biophilic design is rooted in the idea of biophilia . Biophilia means ‘ love of living systems ’ and is a concept dating from the 1960s that describes humanity ’ s intrinsic and innate attraction to the natural world .

Biophilia suggests that humans have a biological need for connecting with nature on physical , mental , and social levels , and that this connection affects our personal wellbeing , productivity , and societal relationships . Over the last several decades , hundreds of scientific studies have been conducted to demonstrate that humans do in fact have an innate attraction to nature .

This complex , intrinsic relationship exists because for 95 percent of our evolutionary history , humans have lived in and amongst nature , becoming hardwired to respond to the stimuli of our natural surroundings . It has only been in the last 200 years of human existence that we have moved into cities and urban areas , and away from close interactions with nature .

We spend 90 percent of our life indoors , and our bodies and mental states reflect the fact that we are displaced from the natural world . Modern urbanization has brought many positive outcomes , but some negative ones as well , such as stress , crime , absenteeism , and depression .

Biophilia and biophilic design is the idea that we can still live in our urban centers , but we need to design the natural world into our built environments . When we are

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