MONDAY, NOV 17 | 4:00 to 5:00 | AB100 | Free and Open to the Public

Tim Beatley will present the contours of several emerging visions of cities, including Biophilic Cities, that at once emphasizes the health and ecological benefits of nature for humans, but also the inherent moral worth of nonhuman life. Cities must be designed as multispecies habitats and with coexistence and biodiversity conservation as priorities. Beatley will discuss the creation of the international Biophilic Cities Network, now more than a decade old, and provide examples of innovative practices, policies and projects that aim to include nonhuman life. Beatley will also discuss the parallel urban vision of Forest Urbanism, and the newly created Center for Forest Urbanism at UVA.

What You’ll Learn:

  • The concepts of Biophilia and the emerging research that supports this idea.
  • What constitutes a Biophilic City, or a city that loves nature, and puts nature at the center of its design and planning.
  • Discover the global Biophilic Cities Network and how partner cities are bringing the vision of Biophilic Cities to life.
  • Understand the vision of Forest Urbanism, and how investments in trees and forests will make cities more resilient, healthy and democratic.

BIO
Beatley is the author or co-author of more than twenty-five books, including Green Urbanism: Learning from European Cities, Native to Nowhere: Sustaining Home and Community in a Global Age, and Biophilic Cities: Integrating Nature Into Urban Design and Planning, and The Bird-Friendly City: Creating Safe Urban Environments (Island Press, 2020). His latest book is The Ethics of Cities (UNC Press 2024). For 10 years Beatley wrote a column for Planning Magazine called Ever Green. Beatley directs the Biophilic Cities Project at UVA (http://biophiliccities.org/) and co-founded UVA’s Center for Design and Health, within the School of Architecture. He is currently in the process of establishing a new center at UVA–the Center for Forest Urbanism–with seed funding from the Jefferson Trust.

For more information contact caplectures@bsu.edu.