The Biophilic Healing Index (BHI) as a professional tool for indoors and outdoors active living design

The Biophilic Healing Index is a professional tool for architects, urban designers, and planners in the process of validation and is advocated by the author of this paper and several international colleagues who share the same ideas and network interactions. For several years, the author had several discussions with international caliber experts about the applications of specific theories in design, architecture, urban design, and planning practices. She shared research with her undergraduate and postgraduate students through various modules’ delivery. Recent scholarly activity included studies and ideas for transforming Derby into a livable city by connecting with local communities and supporting mediation between them and local policymakers. The students enrolled in the Research and Urban Design Module for the BA (Hons) Interior and Venue Design Programme had the opportunity to produce and exhibit proposed changes to the urban fabric in key areas of the city on several occasions. In 2021–2022, the author and her students developed ideas for the integration of the University campus to allow for the development of active living urban spaces for students, staff, and nearby residents. Being facilitated by their tutor, the students met with local communities in forums to carry out surveys. Their findings from the interactions with locals helped and inspired them to select specific sets of patterns of biophilia. Existing percentages of patterns were measured by using the Biophilic Healing Index (BHI); these measurements allow designers to understand where they should be able to increase specific values to secure the health and well-being of all citizens. By using the BHI as a tool, new proposals for improvement of the urban space can have a positive impact on people’s health and well-being. Information on patterns to be specified and improved indicated that human behaviors could change dramatically, too. Therefore, the proposed urban design solutions were tagged with specific UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to allow for vital reviews of the city’s master plan by setting priorities of intervention for the local policymakers. Biophilia has the power to change human behaviors, when designers, architects, communities, and policymakers work together to transform cities into livable and resilient. “Livability relates to urban design and planning, elements which can influence a city’s social mobility and financial prosperity. A livable neighborhood can be compact, sustainable, diverse, green, healthy, accessible” (Tracada and Al-Wali in Nature connectedness, human behaviours, and blue infrastructure: the water effect to people in historical and contemporary masterplanning. Bristol, UK, pp. 36–43, 2020), and above all active and resilient. Thus, it is important to get communities directly involved in active decisions and policymaking. The author argues that policymakers should provide means and support for specific actions, not just promises. The latest events from COVID-19 taught us that the built environment and the urban spaces in which we live should guarantee all citizens’ quality of life. In this chapter, we can show our unique approach to using the Biophilic Healing Index as a tool to evaluate the existing urban space and promote new developments by considering active healthy living for all. We explain how we have managed to connect with scholars internationally, and how we transferred our experiences to learning and teaching. The author selected design proposals related to one specific area of our University campus in which the public space is in desperate need of transformation to become healthier and more inclusive simultaneously.