Biophilia as the invariant in human thinking - A case study - the town of Tabor

Aesthetic and symbolical relations of humans to nature were not properly co nsidered either in theory or in practice of urban planning as it was carrie d out in our country in the 1970s and 1980s. The fact, that elements of nat ure within urban environment play an important role as they partly satisfy the biophila needs of man, i.e. his affinity with plants and animals, was g enerally neglected. The contribution describes the attitudes of inhabitants in the housing esta te of the town of Tabor, South Bohemia to the urban environment they live i n. Based on the empirical evidence, two conclusions can be arrived at. Abse nce of nature, at least in its symbolical form, proved to be the factor lim iting the "pleasant existence" of the people living within housing estates. Low willingness of inhabitants to actively participate in the process of m aking their urban environment livable seems to remain one of the most cruci al problems inherited from the former totalitarian regime. (C) 2001 Elsevie r Science B.V. All rights reserved.