8 Dimensions of a Healing City

What does a Healing City (or town, or community) look like…and feel like? We propose eight dimensions of a Healing City. Use these as a guide to understanding and exploring the concept, and to assist in the development of your own interpretation of a Healing City.

1- Whole Communities

Think about the place where you live, work, learn, and play – your “community” …

How does your community affect your sense of “aliveness,” with opportunities for interacting with self, others, and the built and natural world?
Does your community support your needs as a whole human being by providing convenient and comfortable opportunities for living, working, playing, and reflecting?
How much of your life do you want to live in your neighborhood, and do you feel there are opportunities to stay there as long as you desire – regardless of your physical/financial/relationship condition?

Additional ideas to consider: Sense of belonging and neighborhood identity; Shops and services; Recreation; Learning; Prosperity; Diversity of people; Exposure to new/different/challenging things and people.

2- Conscious Mobility

Think about how you move around during your daily life…

How do your travel patterns reflect your desired lifestyle and your connections to the people and the world around you?
How do your travel choices make you feel physically, emotionally, and spiritually?

Additional ideas to consider: Safety; Active spaces; Exposure to the seasons and different weather conditions; Air pollution; Ease of travel; Interactions with others on the street/path; Exercise; Solitude and “time to think.”

3- Restorative Architecture

Think about the buildings you spend time in – your house, workplace, place of learning, spiritual refuge, etc…

How do you feel when you first enter the buildings you spend time in (home/workplace, etc.); how do you feel after spending a longer period of time there?
What do the buildings you spend your time in tell you about your community and the world – and your place within it?
Where do you feel at peace? What spaces replenish you?

Additional ideas to consider: Spiritual nourishment; Lighting, ventilation, and vegetation; Social interactions and solitude; Awareness of outside conditions; Comfort, anxiety or peace.

4- Thriving Landscapes

Think about the open spaces, parks and green spaces, and natural world around you – big or small; natural or cultivated…

What do the landscapes around you tell you about your community and the wider world – in the present, and in the future?
Where do you go to feel connected to earth, people, and other living things?
Do you have space near you to enjoy being outside?

Additional ideas to consider: Spaces to run and play; Beauty, reflection, solitude, and gardening; interactions with ranges of weather and landscapes; safety and accessibility.

5- Integrated Infrastructure

Think about the systems we use to produce energy, address waste, transport water…

Do you know what happens with your community’s inputs and outputs (e.g. water, waste, sewage, energy) and how do you feel about the impacts of these systems on the world?
How well are these systems connected – to turn waste into resources? Do you have access to composting and recycling facilities or services?

Additional ideas to consider: Energy, heat, and electricity; Garbage collection systems; Stormwater and greywater; system transparency.

6- Nourishing Food Systems

Think about your food – where it comes from, how it gets to you, your experience of eating it, and what happens with food waste…

What are you eating and how much do you know about it (where it comes from, who created it, what’s in it?)
What is your typical experience while eating a meal – feelings of nourishment, sensory experiences, social interactions, connection to the land, etc?
What would happen in your community if the grocery stores ran out of food during a crisis or natural disaster?

Additional ideas to consider: Social interactions and celebration; Processed; International and local sources; Food security; Preservation knowledge; Connections to the land and to the producer; Affordability; Gobbling or savoring.

7- Supportive Society

Think about the people around you – friends, family, and strangers; think about the social systems that are set up in your community, both formal and informal; think about the governance system in place…
Who are your neighbors, and do you know how they are doing?

Do you feel you “fit in” in your community, and are you happy with this fit or difference?
Do you feel you know of resources available to you or those you know should you need assistance or help?
How connected do you feel to the way your place functions – the civic processes and governmental policies that shape your community?

Additional ideas to consider: Smiling at strangers; Social interactions; Homelessness and poverty; Community identity; Fear; Loneliness; Governance; Democracy; Representation; Assistance.

8- Healthy Prosperity

Think about how you make your living and/or meet your material needs…

Is your work meaningful to you? Do you feel like your needs are being met?
How do you balance meeting your needs with those of the earth and the people around you; are you comfortable with this balance?
What is your relationship to abundance?

Additional ideas to consider: Equity; Basic needs; Prosperity; Financial stress; Support; Philanthropy; Contribution; Assistance; Consumption; Accumulation of “stuff”; “Haves and have nots.”