Nature; A Catalyst For Wellbeing In Urban Environments

If we are to imagine the 3.8 billion years of Earth’s life to date as the 24 hours of a day, we will find that human life only existed in the last 5 minutes of the day.

- Abeer Manneh

Although our existence on earth is relatively short, we have had a significant impact on the Earth’s ecosystems. As we have grown in population and went on developing a “better lifestyle”, we have approached nature as superiors; our human-centric approach - or in other words consumer-based approach - has led to a significant and rapid change.

Studies indicate that we have passed the point of no return for global warming -basically referring to limiting global warming to 1.5°C. We are now given a new point of no return for limiting global warming to 2°C by 2035. As it seems, the more we aim for a “better lifestyle” the more we have neglected the environment. According to the Global Footprint Network, we have passed the equilibrium state as we now consume 1.7 times the Earth’s ecological resources.

There are many frameworks and initiatives established globally to mitigate the impact of global warming and to create sustainable developments and happy communities. This article does not intend to review those initiatives; however, it is an attempt to explain a way of designing through the natural world, inspired by nature and in connection to the natural environment so as to establish a basis for a healthy and happy community.

First, we have to acknowledge and establish an understanding of the challenges associated with our human-centric approach of development and specifically the relation between rapid urban growth and wellbeing. Similarly, we need to understand the impact of our exposure to natural elements in the built environment on our wellbeing.

In the 2000s, we have crossed the 50% urban vs. rural population mark. Moreover, it is expected that by 2050, 2/3 of the global population will live in urban cities In 2008, only 10% of the Earth’s land area was considered remote -as in accessible beyond 48 hours of travel from a large city.