The Microbiome of the Built Environment: The Nexus for Urban Regeneration for the Cities of Tomorrow
Built environments are, for most of us, our natural habitat. In the last 50 years, the built-up area has more than doubled, with a massive biodiversity loss. The undeniable benefits of a city providing all the basic needs to a growing population showed longer-term and less obvious costs to human hea...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Microorganisms |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/10/12/2311 |
| _version_ | 1797456196026761216 |
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| author | Antonia Bruno Sara Fumagalli Giulia Ghisleni Massimo Labra |
| author_facet | Antonia Bruno Sara Fumagalli Giulia Ghisleni Massimo Labra |
| author_sort | Antonia Bruno |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Built environments are, for most of us, our natural habitat. In the last 50 years, the built-up area has more than doubled, with a massive biodiversity loss. The undeniable benefits of a city providing all the basic needs to a growing population showed longer-term and less obvious costs to human health: autoimmune and non-communicable diseases, as well as antimicrobial resistance, have reached unprecedented and alarming levels. Humans coevolved with microbes, and this long-lasting alliance is affected by the loss of connection with natural environments, misuse of antibiotics, and highly sanitized environments. Our aim is to direct the focus onto the microbial communities harbored by the built environments we live in. They represent the nexus for urban regeneration, which starts from a healthy environment. Planning a city means considering, in a two-fold way, the ecosystem health and the multidimensional aspects of wellbeing, including social, cultural, and aesthetic values. The significance of this perspective is inspiring guidelines and strategies for the urban regeneration of the cities of tomorrow, exploiting the invaluable role of microbial biodiversity and the ecosystem services that it could provide to create the robust scientific knowledge that is necessary for a bioinformed design of buildings and cities for healthy and sustainable living. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:04:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-146af854442c4562bc4548520ef11480 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:04:50Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj.art-146af854442c4562bc4548520ef114802023-11-24T16:46:58ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072022-11-011012231110.3390/microorganisms10122311The Microbiome of the Built Environment: The Nexus for Urban Regeneration for the Cities of TomorrowAntonia Bruno0Sara Fumagalli1Giulia Ghisleni2Massimo Labra3Biotechnology and Biosciences Department, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, ItalyBiotechnology and Biosciences Department, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, ItalyBiotechnology and Biosciences Department, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, ItalyBiotechnology and Biosciences Department, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, ItalyBuilt environments are, for most of us, our natural habitat. In the last 50 years, the built-up area has more than doubled, with a massive biodiversity loss. The undeniable benefits of a city providing all the basic needs to a growing population showed longer-term and less obvious costs to human health: autoimmune and non-communicable diseases, as well as antimicrobial resistance, have reached unprecedented and alarming levels. Humans coevolved with microbes, and this long-lasting alliance is affected by the loss of connection with natural environments, misuse of antibiotics, and highly sanitized environments. Our aim is to direct the focus onto the microbial communities harbored by the built environments we live in. They represent the nexus for urban regeneration, which starts from a healthy environment. Planning a city means considering, in a two-fold way, the ecosystem health and the multidimensional aspects of wellbeing, including social, cultural, and aesthetic values. The significance of this perspective is inspiring guidelines and strategies for the urban regeneration of the cities of tomorrow, exploiting the invaluable role of microbial biodiversity and the ecosystem services that it could provide to create the robust scientific knowledge that is necessary for a bioinformed design of buildings and cities for healthy and sustainable living.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/10/12/2311sustainabilitysmart citiesurbanbuilt environmentmicrobiomehygiene |
| spellingShingle | Antonia Bruno Sara Fumagalli Giulia Ghisleni Massimo Labra The Microbiome of the Built Environment: The Nexus for Urban Regeneration for the Cities of Tomorrow Microorganisms sustainability smart cities urban built environment microbiome hygiene |
| title | The Microbiome of the Built Environment: The Nexus for Urban Regeneration for the Cities of Tomorrow |
| title_full | The Microbiome of the Built Environment: The Nexus for Urban Regeneration for the Cities of Tomorrow |
| title_fullStr | The Microbiome of the Built Environment: The Nexus for Urban Regeneration for the Cities of Tomorrow |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Microbiome of the Built Environment: The Nexus for Urban Regeneration for the Cities of Tomorrow |
| title_short | The Microbiome of the Built Environment: The Nexus for Urban Regeneration for the Cities of Tomorrow |
| title_sort | microbiome of the built environment the nexus for urban regeneration for the cities of tomorrow |
| topic | sustainability smart cities urban built environment microbiome hygiene |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/10/12/2311 |
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