About us
The Idea of a Philly-focused biophilic urbanist initiative was born from a conversation between Helena van Vliet and Tim Beatley at the Biophilic Cities launch conference in 2013. Our first Philly conference was held on the green roof atop the Parkway Central Library in the Spring of 2015, followed by annual Spring events and workshops focusing on bioPhilly's mission to promote the important link between human health, and the meaningful daily experience of wild and bio-diverse nature in the city. Equitable habitat urbanism is our goal. We envision the city as a safe, healthy, and beautiful garden for all urban residents, human and non-human alike.
Please see our Events page for more information on past and upcoming events.
We are a team of professionals with backgrounds in architecture; biophilic design & urbanism; sustainability advocacy; public policy; education; hydroponics and urban foraging.
Since 2018, we are fortunate to count Thomas Jefferson University as the host sponsor for our live events.
🌿 bioPhilly Core Team January 2022: Sadie Francis, Fredda Lippes, Vera Neumann-Sachs, Helena van Vliet, Melanie Murray
2018 Conference, left to right: Carlos Mattei, Cynthia Barber Gale, Sadie Francis, Vera Neumann-Sachs, Helena van Vliet, Fredda Lippes, Marjorie Lau, Maram Moushmoush
2017 Conference, left to right: Amy Cornelius, Tim Beatley. Helena van Vliet, Veronica Anderson, Vera Neumann-Sachs, Cynthia Barber Gale, Sadie Francis, Fredda Lippes
🌿 Images of BioPhilly Conferences from 2015 through 2022. Our 2020 Conference had to be cancelled (thanks Covid!). Our 2021 Conference was held virtually on Zoom…..🌿 In 2022, our Conference ‘Of Birds and Buildings’ was hosted by the Philly Discovery Center in Partnership with Audubon Mid-Atlantic.