Panorama of Singapore with greenery among high-rise development

Singapore — a territory where the green standard is embedded in planning regulation. Photo: Unsplash

BIOPHILICPROJECTSWORLDWIDE

A directory of primary sources: where to read the standards, the reporting and the actual projects without intermediaries

14 verified links

Biophilic urbanism is not a theoretical construct: behind every principle there are working municipal programmes, international networks and open methodologies. The primary sources below are grouped by purpose: networks set the frame and maintain comparable reporting, municipal programmes show what it looks like in a specific place, and the methodologies supply verifiable standards. Networks are the easiest starting point — they reduce scattered city initiatives to comparable metrics.

International networks and platforms

Development inside a continuous green mass — what member cities measure and publish
Biophilic Cities Network
Development inside a continuous green mass — what member cities measure and publish
The biophilic cities network founded by Timothy Beatley (University of Virginia). Partner cities maintain open nature metrics and publish reports.
biophiliccities.org
A park within dense development: the urban nature cities report on through the platform
CitiesWithNature
A park within dense development: the urban nature cities report on through the platform
A global platform by ICLEI and partners: cities register their urban-nature commitments and report on them publicly.
citieswithnature.org
A heron in an urban park — the return of species the forum’s researchers write about
The Nature of Cities
A heron in an urban park — the return of species the forum’s researchers write about
An international forum of urban-nature researchers, designers and practitioners: essays, cases, debates.
thenatureofcities.com
Asphalt without trees: the urban overheating that climate adaptation addresses
C40 Cities
Asphalt without trees: the urban overheating that climate adaptation addresses
A network of major cities on the climate agenda. Its adaptation and green-infrastructure sections carry city plans and calculations.
c40.org

Cities and specific projects

Singapore: greenery embedded in dense high-rise development by standard
NParks Singapore
Singapore: greenery embedded in dense high-rise development by standard
Singapore’s national agency responsible for the "City in Nature" policy and the landscape replacement rules applied to new development.
nparks.gov.sg
The Supertree Grove at Gardens by the Bay, Singapore
Gardens by the Bay
The Supertree Grove at Gardens by the Bay, Singapore
Singapore’s flagship park and a showcase of biophilic engineering: biodomes, supertrees, closed energy and water loops.
gardensbythebay.com.sg
The daylighted Cheonggyecheon channel in central Seoul
Seoul Metropolitan Government
The daylighted Cheonggyecheon channel in central Seoul
The Seoul city government portal, with material on the restoration of the Cheonggyecheon river where an elevated highway once stood.
english.seoul.go.kr
Bosco Verticale in Milan: trees on the balconies of residential towers
Bosco Verticale — Stefano Boeri Architetti
Bosco Verticale in Milan: trees on the balconies of residential towers
The Vertical Forest project page from its authors, Stefano Boeri Architetti: planting composition, engineering, and follow-up projects.
stefanoboeriarchitetti.net
Copenhagen: the Nyhavn waterfront, a city with a consistent policy towards water
State of Green
Copenhagen: the Nyhavn waterfront, a city with a consistent policy towards water
Denmark’s official green-solutions portal: Copenhagen’s blue-green infrastructure and its cloudburst management plans.
stateofgreen.com
Wellington between its harbour and forested hills
Wellington City Council
Wellington between its harbour and forested hills
Wellington is one of the partner cities of the biophilic cities network; programmes on natural capital and urban ecological corridors.
wellington.govt.nz
A green corridor in a large city from above — the theme of urban forest programmes
Birmingham City Council
A green corridor in a large city from above — the theme of urban forest programmes
Birmingham is a network partner; greening and urban forestry programmes in a large industrial city.
birmingham.gov.uk

Standards, methods, certifications

A street under closed canopies: canopy cover is the “30” in the 3–30–300 rule
Nature Based Solutions Institute
A street under closed canopies: canopy cover is the “30” in the 3–30–300 rule
The Nature Based Solutions Institute, where the 3–30–300 rule was published and argued for (Cecil Konijnendijk).
nbsi.eu
Daylight, timber in the structure, plants in view — the building and interior scale
Terrapin Bright Green — 14 Patterns
Daylight, timber in the structure, plants in view — the building and interior scale
The report "14 Patterns of Biophilic Design" — the baseline methodology at the building and interior scale.
terrapinbrightgreen.com
A timber building among plantings: the scale at which the living building standard works
Living Future Institute
A timber building among plantings: the scale at which the living building standard works
The Living Building Challenge — one of the strictest "living building" standards, including requirements for connection to nature.
living-future.org

The links point to external sites and open in a new window; all were verified working at the time of publication. The directory is informational and does not imply endorsement of these organizations.