gardening

Town Planners as Doctors for Mother Earth – Garden Cities for the 21st Century

Town Planners as Doctors for Mother Earth – Garden Cities for the 21st Century

It seems that in the 21st century we have even more challenges, from tackling climate change and biodiversity decline to an ageing population. Dr Wei Yang, influential thought-leader and a powerful advocate for climate action and nature-based solutions, advocates a people centric approach to community and environment. It is fundamental to create a balanced system for people, nature and society to exist in harmony. When we are dealing with so many different complex issues, we need to take a simple approach, with the main focus being that without nature we cannot survive. We need a mindset change when it comes to civic planning especially.

 

As human beings we have taken from nature and not given back to nature, and Dr Yang argues, as the Garden City Principle celebrates, we are missing a trick. There is a misunderstanding of garden cities. When we say “garden cities” people think, lots of trees. But it is a sophisticated, yet simple, social economic model. Using a land value capture model. Through development the land value increases and that can be captured providing social economic support to the community.

 

Dr Yang discusses how state run Social welfare can be a very top down approach and not necessarily what the community needs and there is a frustration in general with the Town Planning profession. Dr Yang opens our eyes to the fact that planning is in fact multi-disciplinary, not only is it an applied science discipline but it is also an art discipline. This highly sophisticated profession cuts across so many different disciplines, but, she argues, we need to ensure we maintain compassion and selflessness when we are planning our towns and cities. In fact, town Planners should be Doctors for Mother Earth

Read on and listen…

Biophilic Design Awards

Biophilic Design Awards

For Elliott Bennett, editor of i-Plants Magazine and founder of The Biophilic Design Awards, Biophilic Design gives us an holistic approach to bringing positivity and energy into the built environment on multiple levels, and if we can make it affordable and sustainable, then even better.

Plants can be a luxury item, but, Elliott, argues, they really boost the overall environment. Coming from a B2B background, actually selling and installing plants into buildings, he descirbes just how "alive' people become when you install living plants into a building. It's simple, plants are alive, when you bring plants into a space, you bring life.

It's the same with the wider principles of Biophilic Design, bringing patterns of nature and our living planet into a space, you bring life and energy of the outdoors.

Office-based Urban Farming

Office-based Urban Farming

Being able to grow more food locally has to be an essential key to help improve food security and sustainability. One of the best ways to help reconnect us with food is to help us get closer to it, by encouraging us all to harvest our own. How do we do that? That is where Urban Farming comes in. It is literally just that, growing produce in a city or built-up environment, whether that’s a roof top, vacant walls, basements, indoors even. You can grow produce on any piece of land which is currently not serving a purpose. By providing a simple facility, for instance in existing corporate environments, this can encourage community, fun and even provide mini moments of meditation and zen in a busy office, school, healthcare or any indoor space.

Biophilic Design in the Ancient World

Biophilic Design in the Ancient World

Yes, you read that correctly! Over 2000 years ago the Romans were designing homes with outdoor spaces and were also creating virtual nature walls. They had ambitions to create healthier cleaner air, wanted improved scents and less noise pollution specifically to improve health and wellbeing. I speak with Dr Patty Baker, about her research on identifying the connection between Roman conceptions of “pure air” and physical and mental health in Pompeiian gardens, and especially on the mutli-sensory approach the Romans took to ancient medicine…

Indoor Garden Design

Indoor Garden Design

Ever struggled with over watering your plants? Or going the other end of the spectrum and leaving them like they've had a month in the Sahara? There are tips on different plant species which are great ideal starter plants, plus also advice on which plants are best for helping get rid of air pollutants. At the end of the podcast, you too will be excited about creating green spaces in your workplaces and homes…

Is Biophilic Design always relevant?

Is Biophilic Design always relevant?

Biophilia is now one of the most influential elements in today’s design trends. And it’s having an increasing influence on interior design and architecture decisions across almost every sector. Biophilic Design integrates nature and natural elements, materials and forms into the architecture and interiors of the buildings we occupy day in and day out. How it benefits retail, leisure industry, homes, corporate spaces and most importantly us…