Planetary Health and Built Environment

Planetary Health is an interdisciplinary approach that understands human health as interdependent with the integrity of the planet’s natural systems. This chapter aims to examine the relationship between Planetary Health and the built environment and to propose a conceptual framework for organizing design considerations within this paradigm. Drawing on a literature-based theoretical review, it discusses climate change, resource depletion, biodiversity loss, and environmental pollution, and critically examines Life Cycle Assessment, Planetary Health indicators, and the LEED, BREEAM, DGNB, and WELL certification systems. Building on this discussion, the chapter presents the Planetary Health Design Matrix in the Built Environment, which links planetary health threats to design strategies across micro-, meso-, and macro-scales. The matrix is intended to organize consideration of potential relationships among design strategies, environmental performance, human health, and ecosystem integrity; it is not an assessment procedure, does not quantify outcomes, and has not been empirically validated.