Biophilic Design, Restorative Environments and Well-being

Well-being in cities can be addressed from the perspective of multiple disciplines. Urban design can contribute to creating built environments within nature with tangible elements to provide psychological restoration that releases stress and mental fatigue. To do so, many de- sign approaches, such as biophilic design, biomimicry, and eco-cities can make a contribution to this topic. This paper is focused on biophilic design as an urban design approach aimed at understanding connections between natural and built environments in relation to psychological restoration. Important inputs from environmental psychology and public health are also considered to understand people’s responses to different natural and built environments. This paper consists of an extensive literature review of these disciplines and approaches in order to provide designers with elements to be considered for the design of restorative environments. These elements may include natural water features, natural light and colors, vegetation, and well-designed buildings to improve people’s well-being.