Exploring more-than-human worlds through maps and map-making

I am exploring novel mapping approaches to apply to the more-than-human city. Drawing from urban food mapping (Edwards and Davies, 2018; Edwards and Mercer, 2010), I seek to understand how creative, participatory and emancipatory map-making approaches can recognise nonhuman nature’s rights, agencies and needs on the map. This work builds on two projects. The first reviews a shift in the representation of nonhuman nature in maps, which is further examined through urban beekeeping research (Edwards, 2022). The second is the mapping of possible, probable and potential futures of more-than-human cities as explored by students in the interdisciplinary Master’ subject, ‘Designing in / Envisioning Urban Natures’ (Edwards and Petersen, 2023).

References:

Edwards, F. (2022) ‘Putting bees on the urban map: Exploring dimensions of more-than-human mappings’, Counter-mapping the City International Virtual Conference, University of the Philippines, Philosophy Research Foundation and Syracuse University, 15 March.

Edwards, F. and Davies, A. (2018) Connective Consumptions: Mapping Melbourne’s Food Sharing Ecosystem, Urban Policy and Research. 10.1080/08111146.2018.1476231

Edwards, F. and Mercer, D. (2010) Meals in Metropolis: Mapping the urban foodscape, Local Environment, 15(2), February: 153–168. 10.1080/13549830903527662

Edwards, F. and Pettersen, I. N. (2023) Speculative design for envisioning more-than-human futures in desirable counter-cities, Cities 142: 104553.

For more information contact: https://ferneedwards.info/