Co-organised by Dr Sara Heitlinger, the symposium brought together key experts in the field of more-than-human design, and marked the launch of their new book.
By Roman Asghar, Press Office Communications Assistant and Emmanuel Oyakhilome, Press Office Communications Assistant
On Wednesday 19 June, the Centre for Human-Computer Interaction Design, School of Science & Technology hosted a one day symposium and book launch to mark both:
- the publication of ‘Designing More-than-Human Smart Cities – Beyond Sustainability, Towards Cohabitation, co-edited by Dr Sara Heitlinger, Department of Computer Science, City, University of London, Professor Marcus Foth, Queensland University of Technology (Australia) and Dr Rachel Clarke, London College of Communication, University of the Arts
- the launch of Dr Heitlinger’s £1.6 million UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship on More-than-Human Sustainable and Inclusive Smart Cities, which is hosted by the Centre for Human Computer Interaction Design at City, University of London.
Alongside Dr Heitlinger, Professor Rajkumar Roy, Executive Dean of the School of Science & Technology, helped to introduce proceedings, saying in part:
As the symposium’s Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Distinguished Speaker, Professor Marcus Foth then delivered his talk titled "More-than-Human Futures: Connected Urbanism and Cohabitation in the Smart City."
He discussed the need for urban design that supports both human and non-human species.
Drawing upon his wealth of experience, which crosscuts the planet, from professional appointments in China, to Italy, Finland and projects in London, to name a few, Professor Foth emphasised the importance of rethinking how we design cities to address current global challenges.
He shared stories of projects like the Northey Street City Farm in Brisbane, Australia and the annual, international Participatory Design Conference, highlighting the benefits of integrating diverse perspectives in urban planning.
His background in computer science, media communications and urbanism shapes his approach to creating smart cities that prioritise social and cultural considerations. Professor Foth’s research group works to make technologies like virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and data analytics accessible to all communities, especially those in remote areas.
Making a satirical comparison to the stereotypical, ‘cosy’ image of a ‘smart city’ with a few trees, buildings, bicycles and examples of technology in it, he shared the following:
Professor Foth’s talk underscored the importance of designing smart cities that are inclusive and sustainable by combining interdisciplinary methods and considering what the perspectives of non-human species may be in these environments.
Panel discussion: Designing Smart Cities in practice, policy, and in ways that work for human and non-human communities
The following panel discussion included a presentation by Lauren Davies, Senior Designer and Designer Researcher at global engineering consultancy firm, Arup. She spoke about her work on its Foresight Team, aiming to implement what has been learned from academia on major infrastructure projects that form parts of Arup’s portfolio.
At the outset of her talk she shared, ‘if it sounds difficult, it is!’. She discussed the methodology and findings of the new, ‘Arupians: Voices of Nature: How to co-design with nature as a stakeholder?’ research report she led on, including some of the opportunities and barriers encountered.
Also taking part in the panel discussion was Jess Massucco, from the Urban Nature Project at the Natural History Museum, who said:
Associate Professor Alison Powell, London School of Economics, further contributed to the discussion with her work on policy frames in diverse cities.
Book launch: ‘Designing More-than-Human Smart Cities – Beyond Sustainability, Towards Cohabitation'
Dr Heitlinger, introduced the book, explaining how it brings together different disciplinary perspectives to explore what it means to co-design smart cities with humans and other species, in order to create more liveable, just, sustainable and resilient urban environments.
She explained how the book is divided into four sections: cultures, practices, justice and future with 18 original chapters, from different disciplines that span design, architecture, political science, urban planning, anthropology, geography, sociology, environmental humanities, drama, law, computing, media and communications.
Dr Heitlinger explained that the book is the culmination of many years of collaborative work with her co-editors and the authors, in workshops and research activities dating back to 2018.
Dr Alex Taylor, Institute of Design Informatics, University of Edinburgh and Dr Powell discussed their chapter, “How Can Anyone Be More Than One Thing?”. The chapter formatted as a dialogue - explores the nuances of identity through anecdotes and scholarly analysis, using the example of coexisting with urban foxes.
They also featured speculative fiction that explored the subtleties of inclusion and belonging in such a type of setting, imagining a futuristic city built for both people and non-human species.
Dr Taylor queried:
In the talk on her chapter, Clara Mancini, Professor of Animal-Computer Interaction, The Open University, highlighted animal rights and useful strategies like wildlife crossings. She emphasised the significance of multi-species justice in urban planning and underlined how crucial community involvemet is in building urban environments.
Dr Lara Houston, Global Sustainability Unit, Anglia Ruskin University, also provided an introduction to the chapter she co-wrote on the art research project, "The Treaty of Finsbury Park, 2025." The project used live-action role play (LARPs) in London's Finsbury Park, and was developed in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Sussex and arts organisation, Furtherfield.
It involved collectively investigating ‘interspecies democracy’ in an effort to promote conversation on environmental governance and compassion for life beyond humans, with participants adopting the roles of other species. The project seeks to transform behaviours and attitudes towards interspecies coexistence and ecological care. Dr Houston said;
Bill Gaver, Professor of Design and co-leader of the Interaction Research Studio at the University of Northumbria spoke about the chapter he co-wrote, and the method of creating design ‘workbooks’ his research group typically use to explore design proposals to target avenues of future research.
In his talk he presented the workbook he and his team produced as part of the MoTH Cities project, led by Dr Heitlinger, which comprised 70 design proposals and fed into the subsequent design workshops with participants. The workbook also formed the basis for the book chapter.
His caveat was that this particular workbook was different to those his team typically produces, given that they can usually make the artefacts they design, and that they were ‘pretty new’ to more than human issues. In this case, the process took on a more story based, ‘magical’ journey into what might be possible.
Professor Gaver also presented a manifesto for a more-than-human smart city that urges us to aim to share our cities equally with non-humans, and to make technologies and their data directly available and of benefit to non-humans. In order to do this, he argued, we will need to learn to speak and listen to non-humans.
Reflecting on the event, Dr Heitlinger said:
