HEALTH AND WELLBEING RE-VISITED; AN EXPLORATORY STUDY TOWARDS A “HEALTHY & WELLBEING” UNIVERSITY CAMPUS

Abstract

“Health and wellbeing”, buzzword of the era! Whether the term is revolutionizing the way people think about buildings or not is still under investigation. Nevertheless, it certainly explores how design, operations and behaviors within the places where we live, work, learn and play can be optimized to advance human health and wellbeing. Knowing that the term has the possibility of being applied to different scales and arenas, this research focuses on the scale of university campuses. Numerous studies have revealed that university campuses could play a substantial role in boosting the innovation within communities and reinforcing the mission of developing human resources aligned with fostering competitive technological advantages. In cities, societies tend to maximize their competitive benefits to attract more talents and investment. Thus, reconstructing the relationship between campus and the city is becoming more substantial for the survival and flourishes of these communities. This research is an exploratory study building on the epistemological promises of the term; “health and wellbeing” on a communal level; the level of university campuses. The objective is to conceptualize a model that would help us study, create and or evaluate university campuses. The argument follows an inductive qualitative approach building on available knowledge in the field of urban and environmental planning and reaching to applications in the field of health and wellbeing certification. A systems approach ties the elements together with a final exploratory model on its applicability. This would certainly help designers, policymakers and others to evaluate, enhance and create university campuses that would raise the banner or health and wellbeing.