Health by design; optimising our urban environmental microbiomes for human health

Kate Matthews; Timothy Cavagnaro; Philip Weinstein; Jessica Stanhope

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2024.119226

Health by design; optimising our urban environmental microbiomes for human health

Environ Res. 2024 May 24:257:119226. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119226. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Kate Matthews¹, Timothy Cavagnaro², Philip Weinstein³, Jessica Stanhope⁴

Affiliations

¹ College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, Australia; School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
² College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, Australia; School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia; Environment Institute, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
³ Environment Institute, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia; School of Public Health, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia; South Australian Museum, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
⁴ Environment Institute, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia; School of Allied Health Science and Practice, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia. Electronic address: jessica.stanhope@adelaide.edu.au.

PMID: 38797467
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119226

Abstract

Humans have evolved in direct and intimate contact with their environment and the microbes that it contains, over a period of 2 million years. As a result, human physiology has become intrinsically linked to environmental microbiota. Urbanisation has reduced our exposure to harmful pathogens, however there is now increasing evidence that these same health-protective improvements in our environment may also be contributing to a hidden disease burden: immune dysregulation. Thoughtful and purposeful design has the potential to ameliorate these health concerns by providing sources of microbial diversity for human exposure. In this narrative review, we highlight the role of environmental microbiota in human health and provide insights into how we can optimise human health through well-designed cities, urban landscapes and buildings. The World Health Organization recommends there should be at least one public green space of least 0.5 ha in size within 300m of a place of residence. We argue that these larger green spaces are more likely to permit functioning ecosystems that deliver ecosystem services, including the provision of diverse aerobiomes. Urban planning must consider the conservation and addition of large public green spaces, while landscape design needs to consider how to maximise environmental, social and public health outcomes, which may include rewilding. Landscape designers need to consider how people use these spaces, and how to optimise utilisation, including for those who may experience challenges in access (e.g. those living with disabilities, people in residential care). There are also opportunities to improve health via building design that improves access to diverse environmental microbiota. Considerations include having windows that open, indoor plants, and the relationship between function, form and organization. We emphasise possibilities for re-introducing potentially health-giving microbial exposures into urban environments, particularly where the benefits of exposure to biodiverse environments may have been lost.

Keywords: Architecture; Green space exposure; Microbial exposure; Public health; Urban biodiversity; Urban planning.

Publication types

Review