Thirteenth International Conference on The Constructed Environment

Abstract

Increasing incidence of inflammatory diseases has been correlated with Western and urbanized lifestyles, which tend to have decreased access to outdoor nature, especially in lower income and marginalized communities. However, since humans evolved for millennia in the presence of environmental microbes associated with living vegetation, soil, and water, our immune systems are not only adapted to coexist with the majority of these microbes, but may even require that interaction to function properly. Evidence increasingly suggests that exposure to environmental microbiota, such as those associated with soil, may be important for establishment of normal gut flora and healthy immune system development. As a single gram of soil can contain billions of microbes, some of which may have immune-promoting qualities, integrating healthy living soil into urban built environments could provide large-scale public health benefits. Using next-generation DNA sequencing technology, we explored how soils in the built environment can contribute to human microbial exposures. Specific cases include backyard and community garden soil and earthen plaster as an interior finish material. Prioritizing equitable and accessible garden spaces in urban neighborhoods and using sustainable earthen materials in residential construction could augment urban-dwellers’ interaction with soils and their microbiota, thereby fostering healthy immune development.