COLife: More-Than-Human Perspective to Co-Design

Research Project 29-1 (RP 29-1)

IntCDC Research Project 29-1 - COLife
COLIFE: MORE-THAN-HUMAN PERSPECTIVE TO CO-DESIGN

The aim of this research project is to develop, test and evaluate the following Co-Design methodologies for social and environmental change for the new envisioned Post-Anthropocene era where humans and other species live together in synergy. This will be developed for urban environments through architectural building adaptations. Using a more-than-human approach, we will participate in the real-life Co-Design of an urban ecosystem through architectural prototypical urban interventions. These interventions will be both, prototyped and tested in a ‘real-life Co-Design laboratory’. The prototype is a design artefact that is tested for its performance. In this case, the performance of our prototypes will focus on the creation of more-than-human habitats and edible landscapes. The real-life Co-Design laboratory is a non-reductionist laboratory, that integrates the complexity of real life, rather than reducing the environment into separate particles and closed, sterile environments. The Co-Design of the real-life environment will consist of the following methodologies:

  • Gigamapping: A co-creation tool for a multi-centred perspective with related stakeholders and community;
  • Small size full-scale prototyping: Realisation of the co-created prototypes and their placement in real situations on architectural buildings;
  • Community events and DIY recipes for the community engagement, making the project becomes generative. It reproduces and thus co-creates connectivity (biocorridors) across the city;
  • Evaluation of the social and the ecosystem performance: Statistical analysis of public engagement data based on social media and the reproduction of DIY recipes, as well as the ecosystem data of healthy biotopes (an annual ecological study). We are currently experiencing the 6th mass extinction.

The urban environment plays a critical role in its mitigation. Many species have recently adapted to life in cities, which offer them better conditions than agricultural land poisoned by pesticides, herbicides, etc. For many species, cities are located on important migration routes, as they are typically built along rivers. The urban ecosystem is therefore critical to the planet's overall biodiversity. But our cities were not designed for this kind of coliving. Environmental change requires social change, and vice versa. Therefore, new approaches need to be developed in this area.

 

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Dr. Marie Davidová
Institute of Social Sciences (SOWI), University of Stuttgart

TEAM

Maria-Claudia Valverde (SOWI)
Hanane Behnam (SOWI)

 

PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS

  1. 2024

    1. Davidová, M., Valverde Rocha, M. C., & Behnam, H. (2024). BioDiveIn: Leveraging the ecosystem through social and environmental systems. In C. May & E. Barba (Eds.), Relating Systems Thinking and Design (RSD12) 2023 Symposium (pp. 1–17). Systemic Design Association. https://rsdsymposium.org/biodivein-leveraging-ecosystem/
    2. Kwesi Baah, E., Davidová, M., & McMeel, D. (2024). More-than-human futures for decolonised digital economies: current skepticism, implementations and prospects for the post-anthropocene future. Discover Sustainability, 5(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.1007/S43621-024-00574-Y

  2. 2023

    1. Davidová, M. (2023). Designerly dancing with the systems: What design can give to systems thinking and systems practice. GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, 32(4), Article 4. https://doi.org/10.14512/gaia.32.4.20
    2. Davidová, M., Barath, S., & Dickinson, S. (2023). Cultural Environments with More-than-Human Perspectives: Prototyping through research and training. AGATHÓN | International Journal of Architecture, Art and Design, 13, Article 13. https://doi.org/10.19229/2464-9309/13142023
    3. Ghazal, I., Mansour, R., & Davidová, M. (2023). AGRI|gen: Analysis and Design of a Parametric Modular System for Vertical Urban Agriculture. Sustainability, 15(3), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.3390/SU15065284
    4. Saeidi, S., Anderson, M. D., & Davidová, M. (2023). Kindness in Architecture: The Multispecies Co-Living and Co-Design. Buildings, 13(1931), Article 1931. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13081931
    5. Zavoleas, Y., Stevens, P. R., Johnstone, J., & Davidová, M. (2023). More-Than-Human Perspective in Indigenous Cultures: Holistic Systems Informing Computational Models in Architecture, Urban and Landscape Design towards the Post-Anthropocene Epoch. Buildings, 13(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/buildings13010236

  3. 2022

    1. Davidová, M., Fischer, L. K., & Teye, M. (2022). POL– AI: Leveraging Urban EcoSystem. In B. Sweeting (Ed.), Relating Systems Thinking and Design (RSD11) 2022 Symposium (pp. 1–11). Systemic Design Association.
    2. Davidová, M., Sharma, S., McMeel, D., & Loizides, F. (2022). Co-De|GT: The Gamification and Tokenisation of More-Than-Human Qualities and Values. Sustainability, 14(3787), Article 3787. https://doi.org/doi.org/10.3390/su14073787
    3. Hu, X., Sibley, M., & Davidová, M. (2022). Applying a Systemic Approach for Sustainable Urban Hillside Landscape Design and Planning: The Case Study City of Chongqing in China. Journal of Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics, 20(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.54808/JSCI.20.07.121

  4. 2021

    1. Davidová, M. (2021). Breathing Artifacts of Urban BioClimatic Layers for Post-Anthropocene Urban Environment. Sustainability, 13(20), Article 20. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132011307
    2. Davidová, M., Sharma, S., McMeel, D., & Loizides, F. (2021). CO-DE|GT BETA: The 21st Century Economy App for CrossSpecies CoLiving. In M. van der Bijl-Brouwer (Ed.), Relating Systems Thinking and Design (RSD10) 2021 Symposium (pp. 1–10). Systemic Design Association. https://rsdsymposium.org/co-degt-beta-the-21st-century-economy-app-for-crossspecies-coliving/

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

  1. 2022

    1. Davidová, M., Nousala, S., & Marlowe, T. J. (2022). Editorial Introduction – Sustainable, Smart and Systemic Design Post-Anthropocene: Through a Transdisciplinary Lens. Journal of Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics, 20(7), Article 7. https://doi.org/10.54808/JSCI.20.07.1

DATA SETS

  1. 2024

    1. Davidova, M., Behnam, H., Valverde Rojas, M. C., Guerriero, C., Yeh, H., Huang, J., & Köse, M. (2024). COLife_02 - Gigamap and Game Design. DaRUS. https://doi.org/10.18419/darus-3985
    2. Davidova, M., Behnam, H., Valverde Rojas, M. C., Juarez, D., Grgurovic, N., Herlevi, L., Zinder, D., Bortone, L., Belli, F. S., & Gado, N. (2024). COLife_03 - Gigamap and DIY. DaRUS. https://doi.org/10.18419/darus-3986
    3. Davidova, M., Porqueddu, E., Behnam, H., Valverde Rojas, M. C., Zímová, K., Gazdová, K., Sweeting, B., Goodbun, J., Perera, D., Sadler, S., & Huthöfer, S. (2024). COLife_04 - Multi-Scale More-than-Human Atlas Gigamaping, Ecosystem Mapping and CoDesigning. DaRUS. https://doi.org/10.18419/darus-4123
    4. Davidova, M., Prokop, Š., Zímová, K., Goryczka, K., Michálek, O., Psaras, M., Konatzii, P., Kyprianou, S., Vučić, M., Hanzlík, K., Trgala, K., & Oberhofnerová, E. (2024). COLridor - Responsive Wood Insect Hotels. DaRUS. https://doi.org/10.18419/darus-4117
    5. Davidova, M., Teye, M. T., Fischer, L. K., Valverde Rojas, M. C., Behnam, H., Guimaraez di Stasi, M., He, M., Hildebrandt, H., Chau, W. M., Pittiglio, A., Asa, P., Kuo, C. C., Blagojevic, E., Hillebrecht, R., Hillemanns, T., Schaal, M., Spielvogel, M., Sweeting, B., Goodbun, J., & Perera, D. (2024). COLife_00 - Gigamap and Fabrication Data. DaRUS. https://doi.org/10.18419/darus-3981
    6. Davidova, M., Valverde Rojas, M. C., Behnam, H., Fischer, L. K., Fadini, T., Haueise, J., Hauke, A., Florescu, M., Ferrari, V., Ros, A. P., Vujovic, N., Knutelsky, S., Wosiak, O., & Candìa, M. (2024). COLife_01 - Gigamap and DIY Files. DaRUS. https://doi.org/10.18419/darus-3983
    7. Davidova, M., Valverde Rojas, M. C., Behnam, H., Montserrat Castillo Cordova, A., Çavuşoğlu, S., Eyüboğlu, H., Gado, N., Grgurovic, N., Sayyad, Z., & Skorniewska, K. (2024). COLife_05: Gigamap and Game Introduction. DaRUS. https://doi.org/10.18419/darus-4437
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