Jason Hanger
A Concrete Jungle: Cultivating an Urban Habitat for Human-Synanthropic Balance in Johannesburg.
Institutional
Johannesburg, Gauteng,
With the rapid and uncontrolled expansion of human cities and settlements, wild animals are given an ultimatum: adapt or go extinct.
Many animals have adapted well to this urban setting and thrive amongst us in our cities. Others battle to do so and must fight to survive in between human life. These are known as synanthropes: undomesticated organisms that live near humans and benefit from their surroundings and activities.
Despite the prevalence of synanthropes, the human settlements they inhabit do very little to improve their lives and they are forced to scrounge for the means to survive. Conflicts between humans and animals are common. Humans tend to see them as pests and chase them off or kill them and the synanthropes tend to see us as hazards and try to keep their distance. This project will investigate how an urban intervention can be designed in Johannesburg that can allow for and encourage co-existence with the synanthropic residents of the city: birds, rodents, and even larger animals that may be attracted to the new habitat.
