Navigating the Dynamics of Human-Nature-Animal Relationships in the Urban and Planetary Healthscape

How have the concepts of global and planetary health evolved in urban contexts from a historical perspective? In what ways do different disciplines conceptualize and contribute to the understanding of global and planetary health in urban environments? How have historical perspectives on human-animal interactions informed current understanding in global and planetary health? In what ways do urban landscapes and their anthropogenic disturbances impact the health and well-being of both humans and non-human species? What are the impacts of anthropogenic disturbances on human-animal interactions in urban areas? How do these interactions reflect the broader challenges of global and planetary health in urban settings? How can insights from disciplines such as human geography, urban history, and urban ecology be integrated to address global health challenges in urban areas?

Navigating the Dynamics of Human-Nature-Animal Relationships in the Urban and Planetary Healthscape.

Objectives

Our aim is to develop a comprehensive framework that considers the different disciplinary contexts of global and planetary health and to come to a more nuanced understanding of the complexity of these concepts.

Abstract

Urban landscapes are vibrant settings where human and more-than-human lives intersect, embodying the essence of global and planetary health in an urban context. These spaces undergo constant transformations that significantly impact the health and well-being of multiple species within these landscapes. Our approach merges insights from human geography, urban history, and urban ecology to explore the intricate dynamics of these shared landscapes and the deep-rooted historical influences of human-animal interactions.

This investigation is undertaken through two interconnected subprojects: the first develops a theoretical framework to comprehend these relationships, considering the broader discourses from different disciplines of global and planetary health; and a particular focus on a historical perspective on these concepts. The second one empirically studies human-animal interactions in urban spaces with the aim of understanding how anthropogenic disturbances affect these interactions. This is a critical aspect of promoting multispecies equity; also in relation to their health and well-being.

By amalgamating diverse disciplinary insights, our aim is to develop a comprehensive framework that considers the different disciplinary contexts of global and planetary health and to come to a more nuanced understanding of the complexity of these concepts. This subproject’s conceptual investigations serve as a critical cornerstone that sets the stage for actionable strategies in the interdisciplinary discourse of planetary health.

Outputs

  • Conference

    1st November 2023

    Berlin Science Week ↗

    Planetary Health: What Can we Learn from the Multispecies City?

    Embassy of Brazil in Berlin, Berlin University Alliance | Laura Kemmer, Marcia Chame, Antonio Mauro Saraiva, Sandra Jasper, Jamie-Scott Baxter, Ulrike Beisel, Túllio Da Silva Maia, Roberto Jaguaribe, Christoph Schneider, Ж, Pia Rafalski

    This transdisciplinary talk will explore complexities and contradictions of ‘planetary healing’ & use of urban nature as remedy for human malaise Planetary Health points us to how human health is no longer separable from the health of animals, plants, and ecosystems. As a concept, it urges us to understand how man-made processes such as climate crisis, urbanization, habitat destruction, pollution and toxicity have repercussions on both the “natural” and “social” worlds. However, there has been only few occasions where the concept has been discussed in a trans-disciplinary manner, between the natural and the social sciences.

    Our event crosses the boundaries between Brazil and Germany, biology and anthropology, engineering and urban studies. It unites established planetary health experts from Brazil with Berlin-based researchers exploring global health through a multispecies city lens. Join us and learn about the possibilities and limitations of translating “planetary health” for studies that scrutinize urban initiatives for improving human-environment relations.

  • Lecture

    13 February 2024 18-20:00

    Center for Metropolitan Studies ↗

    Animal-Aided Design: A Stakeholder Approach to Incorporating Wildlife into Urban Planning

    Thomas Hauck (Berlin/Wien)

  • Workshop

    5th June 2024

    The Nature of Cities Festival 2024 ↗

    Untangling the Interconnectedness of Biodiversity and Human Health in Urban Areas via Social-Ecological Networks

    Tanja Straka, Zeno Porro, Monika Egerer, Florian Ruland, Joanna Coleman, Aletta Bonn, Solène Guenat, Jonathan Jeschke

    In this session, experts and decision-makers delved into the complex relationship between biodiversity and human health in urban areas through social-ecological networks. Through presentations and discussions, we gained fresh insights into these complex relationships.

Network

Berlin, Germany

Melbourne, Australia

Team

  • Project Co-speaker,
    Principal Investigator: Global/planetary urban health
    Technical University Berlin, Urban History

    Professor of Urban History and Director of the Center for Metropolitan Studies at TU Berlin. Areas of interest: urban environmental history, urban temporalities, human-animal relations, and war and the environment.

    e-mail website
  • PhD Student: Global/Planetary Urban Health (Elsa-Neumann-Scholarship)
    Freie University Berlin, Urban Ecology and Ecological Novelty

    Doctoral student at the Freie Universität Berlin and Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), with a curiosity deeply rooted in ecology, conservation, and human dimension of wildlife in modified landscapes. Currently investigating the relationship between biodiversity and health by examining the network connecting birds, bats, mosquitoes, and disease risk in urban blue and green spaces.

    e-mail
  • Principal Investigator: Global/Planetary Urban Health
    Freie Universität Berlin, Urban Ecology

    Guest professor in urban ecology at the Freie Universität Berlin. Her research focuses on human-nature-wildlife interactions within urban environments, applying interdisciplinary approaches that integrate ecological and social science research methods.

  • Postdoc Researcher: Global/Planetary Urban Health
    Technical University Berlin-CMS, Human Geography

    Areas of interest: more-than-human collectives, state violence, postcolonial geographies, environmental movements

    e-mail website