How might we use data and technology for thriving multispecies interactions in the city?

About this event

In this walking workshop we will visit community gardens in Hackney, east London to explore More-than-Human relations in the city.

Which creatures do we love to love, or love to hate? How much do we know about our furry, slimy, leafy, fluttering, crawling or digital neighbours? How could we use data to get to know them even better and help improve our urban green spaces? And how might we design new technologies for the benefits of all of London's inhabitants - human and non-human – and not just an elite few (species)?

The workshop is part of a research project exploring new roles for data and technology to support more sustainable, inclusive, just and diverse cities.

When: Friday 9th July from 11am-2pm

Starting point: Garden of Earthly Delights, 161 Graham Road, London E8 1BT

End point: Haggerston Orchard, Haggerston Park, London E2 8QH

Who: Interested people including urban planners, designers, researchers, growers, citizen scientists, biodiversity experts, local residents, local councillors.

Lunch is included. Participants will be offered £30 vouchers from a local gardening business to say thank you for their time. The number of participants is limited for this activity.

What the research project is about

There are many different ways data is collected about people, services and resources in our cities. Some of this data helps organisations make key decisions about the ecological health of urban spaces. Much of this data is managed by local authorities or environmental organisations and not always available to local communities seeking to improve their neighbourhoods with a diverse range of species. Data collection technologies and sharing strategies have also been designed with a focus on human behaviours and interactions. We’d like to explore what it means to design for data interactions through a more-than-human perspective and imagine other ways data could be collected, repurposed and interacted with to support diverse forms of life.

Who is involved ?

The project is a collaboration between researchers at City, University of London, Goldsmiths University, Warwick University, Newcastle University, and the London School of Economics, and project partners the Roving Microscope and Cordwainers Grow. It is funded through an EPSRC Human Data Interactions Network Plus grant.