Conclusion

The approach to health and wellbeing suggested by the contributions to this volume is multidisciplinary and holistic. The intent, as stated in the Introduction, is to expand upon the fundamental goals for any and every given project, so as to include an evaluation of environmental impacts as well as an understanding of the physiological and emotional impacts of design choices. Change is a difficult process, but it is imprinted in our genetic makeup. Ritual, like language, is a fundamental part of who people are as homo sapiens. A healthy system is a resilient system. All systems experience stress, but each system has thresholds at which stress stops being an incentive for adaptation and starts being toxic. Design for resilience will become a priority as environmental and social stressors increase over the next few decades. The global trend toward expanded urbanization has already begun to transform cities into more celebratory environments.