Nature is a commodity first, a place we visit second and an integral part of who we are last. The need for nature premise may provide that resolution. It proposes to alter our fundamental understanding of the value of nature by redefining the reciprocity between human beings and the natural environment. The scientists also are quick to point out that the research is still in its early stages. The findings are compelling but incomplete.
Further inquiry is necessary.
Hopefully, some of that inquiry will come from the ranks of the design discipline. Architects and designers have long held that the design of the built environment can have profound effects upon human attitudes, behaviors and physical and emotional well-being. And it now appears that this phenomenon is grounded, at least in part, in our relationship with the diversity of life around us. Today, it is impossible to look to the future of any profession without considering its role in the larger context of society and the planet. Survival is now recognized as an interrelated concept involving all species, all resources and all activities undertaken by all humans.