Spiritual Wellness and the Built Environment

This book explores spiritual wellness as a foundational attribute to urban planning and design. Planning and design strategies are presented through case studies from around the globe that highlight the importance of spiritual wellness considerations at all scales of the built environment from rooms to cities.

Phillip James Tabb is Emeritus Professor of Architecture at Texas A&M University and was the Liz and Nelson Mitchell Professor of Residential Design. Since 2001, Tabb has been the master plan architect for Serenbe Community - an award-winning sustainable, biophilic, and wellness community being realized near Atlanta, Georgia, and the architect of his solar residence in Serenbe. He has been a design educator for 20 years and a practicing urban designer and licensed architect for 30 years.

1. Definitions and Overview 2. Place-Based Attributes of Spiritual Wellness 3. Experience-Based Attributes of Spiritual Wellness 4. Practice and Process-Based Attributes of Spiritual Wellness 5. Spiritual Wellness at the Personal Scale 6. Spiritual Wellness at the Architectural Scale 7. Spiritual Wellness at the Urban Design Scale 8. Narrative Vignette 1: The Significance of Solar Energy 9. Narrative Vignette 2: The Role of Sacred Geometry 10. Narrative Vignette 3: The Value of Mythic Landscapes 11. Narrative Vignette 4: The Importance of Pilgrimages 12. Spiritual Wellness Summary Glossary Suggested Reading