A puma in Santiago, Chile\u2019s capital; a herd of deer leisurely ambling along Krup\u00f3wki Street in Zakopane; fish visible in Venice\u2019s canals. These and other evocative images of wild animals in cities reminded us that they coexist with us, engaging in numerous, often invisible interactions with humans and urban spaces. <\/strong>Wild animals appearing on typically bustling streets challenged our belief in controlling nature, much like the virus itself did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite numerous examples from quarantine times, we still resist acknowledging \u2013 and thus seeing \u2013 wild animals and vegetation in cities, with a few exceptions. These include ducks, provided they do not leave the ponds or defecate on walkways. Hedgehogs are tolerated, as long as they do not need to hibernate in unsightly piles of leaves. Squirrels are acceptable if they pose for photos rather than raid trash bins. In other words, we accept their presence within carefully defined parameters.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The binary distinction between nature versus culture persists. Consequently, shared spaces are artificially divided into areas for humans and areas for nature. This dualistic worldview is also present in architecture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For years, architecture\u2019s primary goal was to separate humans from the external world. Designers attempted to overcome nature, even at the landscape planning level.<\/strong> Consequently, parks are not the most biodiverse areas in cities. Counterintuitively, the greatest species diversity is found in wastelands \u2013 places untouched by human development. However, how can we consciously integrate nature into cities? And what purpose do such endeavors serve?<\/p>\n\n\n\n We recommend: <\/strong>The Dark Side of Sport. When Physical Activity Harms<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Modernists once sparked a revolution in construction. Le Corbusier, a leading French modernist, claimed that \u201ca house is a machine for living in\u201d and should harmonize with both human organisms and nature<\/strong>. His canonical realization of this thought was the Unit\u00e9 d\u2019Habitation in Marseille, a massive residential block that also housed shops, a library, and a swimming pool. The roof featured a terrace with a garden, isolated from city noise. Another radical project by the French architect involved demolishing the entire old town of Paris to build a new, more efficient, and greener city. Naturally, it was never realized. Le Corbusier\u2019s thinking was driven not only by the famous slogan \u201csun, space, greenery,\u201d but also by adaptation to the poor economic and housing situation after World War II.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, non-human or multi-species urbanism proposes equally revolutionary ideas in construction and urban planning. The \u201cgreen\u201d projects it suggests stem from adopting a broader perspective, considering climate change, and urban symbiosis with animals and plants.<\/strong> Contemporary philosopher<\/a> Timothy Morton vividly captures this, arguing that the previous architectural approach was based on shifting the effects of human activity elsewhere. In Architecture Without Nature,<\/em> he ponders:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf there is no yonder<\/em>, if we know that when we flush the toilet the waste goes somewhere<\/em>, there is no way<\/em> to which to send anything\u201d, Morton writes in the context of urban solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How we manage cities, waste, water, and the habitat conditions for wild animals always impacts a specific place. It may affect our city or spaces beyond its borders. The situation on the Oder River in 2022, which could still recur, serves as an example. Exceeding water salinity norms \u2013 due to excessive waste dumping \u2013 caused golden algae to bloom, leading to mass fish deaths. Ultimately, the ecological catastrophe stretched for hundreds of kilometers. The city may remain clean, but there is always a \u201cspecific somewhere.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Contrary to earlier beliefs about planning shared spaces<\/a>, non-human or multi-species urbanism asserts that when moving from rural to urban areas, the natural environment and climate do not magically disappear. They are ever-present, though often meticulously concealed by humans<\/a>. Take the Rawa River, hidden beneath Katowice\u2019s market square, over which flows its artificial, more presentable simulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nature should be treated as an integral part of human spaces.<\/strong> In times of global warming, what was once peripheral is increasingly making its presence felt. Failing to consider the multidimensional natural aspect risks destabilizing the environment \u2013 both locally and globally. Frequent mowing and maintaining grass at low heights leads to soil depletion, reduced populations of soil organisms and insects, and consequently, small vertebrates, including birds. In such situations, only invasive species thrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The characteristic scorched lawns during summer are not merely an aesthetically dubious, insect-free calling card of a \u201cclean\u201d city. They also exacerbate drought due to poor water accumulation in underdeveloped roots. Paradoxically, during intense rainfall, they increase flood risk due to water not being absorbed by the parched soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Non-human urbanism primarily promotes comprehensive and long-term thinking. Greening city centers is a multi-faceted approach \u2013 regulating hydrology, creating natural habitats for other species, and combating heat islands<\/strong>. The antithesis of this approach is not only the so-called \u201cconcretization\u201d of city centers but also the placing of trees in pots amidst cobblestones. After all, over 60% of a tree\u2019s total biomass consists of root systems that capture and store water. This puzzling trend of potted trees has recently appeared in Krakow\u2019s market square, for instance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We recommend:<\/strong> The Brain Likes What Is Known. Why Do We Regard People as Pretty or Ugly?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Living in times when extreme weather events (such as prolonged droughts and sudden floods) are statistically more frequent, we cannot afford solutions from the previous century. Non-human urbanism<\/a> is a young discipline. It proposes concrete actions for the present while continually seeking new solutions. Nevertheless, architects from the \u201ckoozArch\u201d magazine have issued a brief Manifesto for the Non-Human City.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the manifesto, urban planners should design ecological niches to ensure small urban ecosystems. Cities should aim to connect green arteries, facilitating movement for animals present in the space. Local governments should focus not only on more green spaces but also on native plant species. Most interestingly, those involved in spatial design are calling for a limitation on space design.<\/strong> Instead, they propose opening the city to the creative action of non-human forces: in wastelands, urban meadows, or in the preserved sections of fallen trees in parks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Translation: Klaudia Tarasiewicz<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Read the text in Polish:<\/strong> Jak projektowa\u0107 miasta? Z my\u015bl\u0105 o naturze<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"How](\"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/How-to-Design-Cities-2-1024x576.webp\")
Where Are These Animals?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Where Does Your Toilet Water Go?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"How](\"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/How-to-Design-Cities-3-1024x576.jpg\")
How to Design Cities? The Direction of Change<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How to Design Cities. Manifesto for Non-Human Urbanism<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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