ABSTRACT

Geographic and sociopolitical contexts impact the way and degree to which emerging trends in the delivery of healthcare and health-supportive settings will or will not be relevant. This chapter outlines only a small subset of trends that may be most relevant in more mature and established contexts, but they may also apply in different ways for rapidly evolving societies. Within a ubiquitous healthcare milieu, hospitals and academic medical centers will increasingly be envisioned and designed both conceptually and physically as hospitals without walls. Health campuses and wellness districts should be conceived as mixed-use districts and include public spaces for healthful recreation and social interaction. The campus should include public green spaces and tree-lined green streets, parks and plazas, public art, and recreational activities and events. Healthcare environments should serve as role models for best practices that promote human health and minimize the impact on local and global ecosystems despite ever-changing forces.