You know how driving down a lush green byway makes you feel much better than navigating a busy highway lined with billboards and other blight?  Well, it turns out there's plenty of science that explains just why you feel that way.

Thanks to Reyn Bowman of Scenic NC and his Bull City Mutterings blog, we've been made aware of a new paper that cites the economic and public health benefits of designing with nature in mind.  The paper's authors suggest that by understanding the concept of biophilia -- the innate human attraction to nature -- designers can create healthier, happier and more prosperous communities.

The paper references studies that have shown that chaotic and unsettling environments create "stress, frustration, irritability, and distraction."  In contrast, people are "more wakefully relaxed when exposed to natural landscapes."  Neuroscientists have found that viewing nature is literally a pleasurable experience! 

The study's authors contend there is also an economic benefit to designing with these principles in mind.  For example, a study in Cleveland, Ohio, found that good landscaping aesthetics coupled with large shade trees added an average of 7% to rental rates!  Click here to download the full 43-page paper.