Biophilic

Design in
Cypress Knolls
ENSTU 471 Project for Sustainable City Year
Fall 2023
Corinn Biglin, Madison Creech, Katie
Lampkin, Anna Lucido, Hunter Romo
 Cypress Knolls: 200 acres of
undeveloped former Fort Ord

How can Cypress

Knolls be developed
in a sustainable,
biophilic, and
environmentally
conscious manner
that benefits
residents in Marina? Google Earth, (2023) Cypress Knolls 36.672346, -121.799532[Online]
Available through: https://maps.app.goo.gl/5k17HVBTKMfJCtVd7
Key Themes

Biophilic Meeting
Design the needs
Sustainable of Marina
Development
 Methods
Archival Research
(Document & Content
Analysis)

Needs Assessment

ArcGIS Pro

Interview
 Literature Review
City of Marina Documents
2006 Environmental Impact
Report
● Land use in Marina: Residential 21.3%,
Commercial 3.7%, Industrial 8.6%, Parks
and Open Space 25.7%, and Public and
Institutional 40.5%
Existing Conditions Report
● Key issues to acknowledge: smart
financing, environmental responsibility,
attainable housing, and community
strength
Cypress Knolls Planning and
Design Process Report
Literature Review
Biophilic Design
Biophilic Design Framework

Biophilic Cities: What are they?

Economics of Biophilia

LEED Compatibility
 3-30-300

300m to Green Space

Romo, 2023
 ● Mixed-Use Developments: pedestrian-oriented
● Environmental concerns:
Findings ○ Sand Gilia
○ Asbestos
● Biophilic Design can limit environmental impact and
reduce environmental degradation
● Development that contributes to increased connectivity,
improved public health, and community relations
Broader Significance & Recommendations

● Expand on benefits identified by residents of Marina and conduct

further outreach
● Economic feasibility solutions:
○ Transformative Climate Communities Program
○ Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities program
○ Community Land Trust
● Biophilic Design promotes Marina as a clean city and addresses the
environmental justice goal of SB 1000
Acknowledgements & Questions
Special thanks to:
● Seth Gustafson, Ph.D.
● Victoria Derr, Ph.D. Please send any lengthy questions to:
● Robert Burton, Ph.D. hromo@csumb.edu & check out our poster!
● Alyson Hunter, City of Marina
● J.D. Brown, Biophilic Cities
Program Director