Jason Hanger

In the city, several animal species live in between human life. These are known as synanthropes – wild organisms that live near humans, benefiting from the environments they create but remaining undomesticated. As cities expand, more and more wild animals lose their natural habitats in exchange for the urban sprawl of humans. To survive, they either move further and further away or accept the new paradigm and adapt to a more synanthropic lifestyle. Some synanthropes are considered beneficial, while others are considered pests. Regardless of how they are seen, the cities they inhabit are always primarily built for humans and make little to no provision for synanthropes, forcing them to scrounge for the means to survive in an environment that does not accommodate them.

Johannesburg is no exception to this development, particularly in areas such as Ferreira’s Dorp that are linked to historical mining and industrial activity, and at the same time dense urban developments close to the city centre.

This project aims to find a way to accommodate synanthropes, especially the city’s bird life, within the human urban environment. The design introduces the concept of co-existence between humans and synanthropes to a typical urban human function.

The final design provides a sustainable habitat for both humans and animals with principles, such as the idea of so-called “hollow ecosystems”, that could possibly be repeated on a wider scale as a way of creating cities which are friendlier and more accommodating of more-than-human forms of life.