---
_id: '7134'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: "                  This paper examines how biophilic design intersects with
    the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) amid disruptions caused by the COVID-19
    pandemic, considering human–nature interactions as an individual-scale link between
    well-being and sustainability. Biophilic design—the integration of natural elements
    into the built environment—reflects well-being through human–nature interactions
    and connects social–ecological system dynamics and sustainability interdependencies.
    Drawing on evidence that pandemic-induced psychological stressors transformed
    people–environment relations, this study developed a conceptual framework linking
    selected SDG targets to the 14 biophilic design patterns and examined these relationships
    using data from a Europe-wide survey conducted in early 2023. It complements research
    on SDG interdependencies, which is mainly conducted at the system or policy level,
    by introducing individual experiences. NMI analysis identified a central cluster
    of strong statistical interdependencies among SDGs related to energy efficiency
    (SDG 7), infrastructure (SDG 9), and resource use (SDG 12), while SDGs associated
    with cities (SDG 11) and terrestrial ecosystems (SDG 15) showed weaker and more
    diffuse interdependencies. The observed interdependencies were strongest for SDGs
    represented by survey variables that reflect direct, everyday experiences of the
    built environment, such as indoor environmental quality, access to natural light,
    ventilation, contact with vegetation, and the use of natural materials, whereas
    SDGs represented by indirect or broader ecological dimensions exhibited weaker
    statistical associations. Not all conceptually linked SDGs were reflected equally
    in individual experiences; only a subset of potential interdependencies showed
    strong statistical—association. This study demonstrates that the pattern of SDG
    interdependencies depends on the analytical scale at which sustainability is examined.
    The study reinforces the value of the SDG framework as an analytical structure
    for sustainability science, enabling interdisciplinary investigations of complex
    interactions among environmental, social, and built-environment dimensions beyond
    policy implementation assessment.\r\n                "
article_number: '8966'
author:
- first_name: Kalterina
  full_name: Shulla, Kalterina
  id: '256375'
  last_name: Shulla
  orcid: 0000-0002-1455-1140
  orcid_put_code_url: https://api.orcid.org/v2.0/0000-0002-1455-1140/work/225564490
- first_name: Walter Leal
  full_name: Filho, Walter Leal
  last_name: Filho
- first_name: Salim
  full_name: Lardjane, Salim
  last_name: Lardjane
- first_name: Giuseppe
  full_name: Scandone, Giuseppe
  last_name: Scandone
citation:
  alphadin: '<span style="font-variant:small-caps;">Shulla, Kalterina</span> ; <span
    style="font-variant:small-caps;">Filho, Walter Leal</span> ; <span style="font-variant:small-caps;">Lardjane,
    Salim</span> ; <span style="font-variant:small-caps;">Scandone, Giuseppe</span>:
    Biophilic Design, Human Well-Being, and SDG Interactions in the Context of COVID-19.
    In: <i>Sustainability</i> Bd. 18, MDPI AG (2026), Nr. 17'
  ama: Shulla K, Filho WL, Lardjane S, Scandone G. Biophilic Design, Human Well-Being,
    and SDG Interactions in the Context of COVID-19. <i>Sustainability</i>. 2026;18(17).
    doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/su18178966">10.3390/su18178966</a>
  apa: Shulla, K., Filho, W. L., Lardjane, S., &#38; Scandone, G. (2026). Biophilic
    Design, Human Well-Being, and SDG Interactions in the Context of COVID-19. <i>Sustainability</i>,
    <i>18</i>(17). <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/su18178966">https://doi.org/10.3390/su18178966</a>
  bibtex: '@article{Shulla_Filho_Lardjane_Scandone_2026, title={Biophilic Design,
    Human Well-Being, and SDG Interactions in the Context of COVID-19}, volume={18},
    DOI={<a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/su18178966">10.3390/su18178966</a>}, number={178966},
    journal={Sustainability}, publisher={MDPI AG}, author={Shulla, Kalterina and Filho,
    Walter Leal and Lardjane, Salim and Scandone, Giuseppe}, year={2026} }'
  chicago: Shulla, Kalterina, Walter Leal Filho, Salim Lardjane, and Giuseppe Scandone.
    “Biophilic Design, Human Well-Being, and SDG Interactions in the Context of COVID-19.”
    <i>Sustainability</i> 18, no. 17 (2026). <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/su18178966">https://doi.org/10.3390/su18178966</a>.
  ieee: K. Shulla, W. L. Filho, S. Lardjane, and G. Scandone, “Biophilic Design, Human
    Well-Being, and SDG Interactions in the Context of COVID-19,” <i>Sustainability</i>,
    vol. 18, no. 17, 2026.
  mla: Shulla, Kalterina, et al. “Biophilic Design, Human Well-Being, and SDG Interactions
    in the Context of COVID-19.” <i>Sustainability</i>, vol. 18, no. 17, 8966, MDPI
    AG, 2026, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/su18178966">10.3390/su18178966</a>.
  short: K. Shulla, W.L. Filho, S. Lardjane, G. Scandone, Sustainability 18 (2026).
date_created: 2026-09-01T15:55:30Z
date_updated: 2026-09-02T14:20:50Z
doi: 10.3390/su18178966
intvolume: '        18'
issue: '17'
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
oa: '1'
publication: Sustainability
publication_identifier:
  eissn:
  - 2071-1050
publication_status: published
publisher: MDPI AG
status: public
title: Biophilic Design, Human Well-Being, and SDG Interactions in the Context of
  COVID-19
type: journal_article
user_id: '220548'
volume: 18
year: '2026'
...