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Biophilic Cities for an Urban Century

Why nature is essential for the success of cities

  • Concisely presents the basic principles of biophilic design
  • Introduces a coherent intellectual framework for the value of nature in the urban century
  • Explores how biophilic city design can counter-act growing urban psychological penalties

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Table of contents (7 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xi
  2. The Urban Century

    • Robert McDonald, Timothy Beatley
    Pages 1-9
  3. Cities as Quintessentially Human

    • Robert McDonald, Timothy Beatley
    Pages 11-22
  4. Cities as Inhumane: The Urban Health Penalty

    • Robert McDonald, Timothy Beatley
    Pages 23-39
  5. Nature as a Solution

    • Robert McDonald, Timothy Beatley
    Pages 41-61
  6. Biophilic Cities: Vision and Emerging Principles

    • Robert McDonald, Timothy Beatley
    Pages 63-85
  7. The Choice

    • Robert McDonald, Timothy Beatley
    Pages 109-122
  8. Back Matter

    Pages 123-124

About this book

​This book argues that, paradoxically, at their moment of triumph and fastest growth, cities need nature more than ever. Only if our urban world is full of biophilic cities will the coming urban century truly succeed. Cities are quintessentially human, the perfect forum for interaction, and we are entering what could justly be called the urban century, the fastest period of urban growth in human history. Yet a growing body of scientific literature shows that the constant interaction, the hyper-connectedness, of cities leads to an urban psychological penalty. Nature in cities can be solution to this dilemma, allowing us to have all the benefits of our urban, connected world yet also have that urban home be a place where humanity can thrive. 

This book presents best practices and case studies from biophilic design, showing how cities around the world are beginning to incorporate nature into their urban fabric. It will be a valuable resource for scholars and professionals working in the area of sustainable cities.


Authors and Affiliations

  • Arlington, USA

    Robert McDonald

  • Charlottesville, USA

    Timothy Beatley

About the authors

Robert McDonald is Lead Scientist at The Nature Conservancy, based in Washington, DC, USA.  He researches the relationship between cities and nature.


Timothy Beatley is the Teresa Heinz Professor of Sustainable Communities, in the School of the Architecture at the University of Virginia, USA, where he has taught for the last thirty years. He also directs the Biophilic Cities Network.



Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 69.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 69.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access