Moscow Urban Forum's video: MUF2020 Beyond the Park Biophilia Connecting Cities and Nature

Biophilia is the basic human need for easy access to nature. This feeling of affiliation with living organisms and systems and attraction to the natural world has historically served as an incentive for greening cities. Creating a natural environment in cities has a positive impact on the reduction of noise, light and air pollution and as well as stress level among citizens. Recently world megacities have chosen the way of reorganizing urban park spaces by filling them with new content and significantly increasing the attendance. However, the reorganization of existing parks and the creation of new ones are not the only ways of natural landscape formation in cities. Today nature is no longer perceived as separate from the city. Instead, it has become an essential part of urban planning. Perhaps, in the near future there may be a shift in global thinking regarding urban planning. Urban areas may become places that can accommodate significantly more natural features, and biodiversity may become a part of healthy urban infrastructure. What are biophilic cities? What other landscape and architectural solutions can be developed in addition to parks and squares? How can a city be preserved while still offering residents with nature? What opportunities do urbanists and city planners have to promote biophilic city design with sustainable design principles? Speakers: - Ekaterina Samukhina - Ekaterina Goldberg - Timothy Beatley - Adam White - Adriaan Geuze Moderator: - Oleg Shapiro