Yu Xiao
Zoopolis: Repurpose Urban Infrastructure to Welcome Invisible Neighbors
For a long time, humans have taken a dominant role in shaping the world to fit what is best for us, while claiming vast cities and our territories. However, shrinking natural habitats together with the availability of resources and shelter has attracted abundant wildlife to cities. These animal species have adjusted their habits to adapt to the urban environments and avoid direct contact with humans, becoming invisible inhabitants of the city. Despite their initial harmonious coexistence, in recent decades, increasing wildlife sightings – often causing conflict or panic – bring those liminal animals to public attention. This situation encourages us to reframe how cities could foster coexistence between human and non-human communities.
In addition to calling for the protection of these species’ rights to inhabit in the city, this thesis considers liminal animals as our urban co-residents by suggesting their responsibility to face the challenges together with human communities. The work uses the cooperation between beavers and human beings to help address the flooding issues in some cities, by repurposing infrastructures to invite beavers’ participation in their engineering. The eventual goal is to understand how we can create a zoopolis –a sort of urban commons where both human and non-human communities have the right to live and contribute to life in the city.
Image
Recovery of Liminal Animals in Recent Decades
Adobe Suites
2022
Shrinking natural habitats together with the availability of resources and shelter have attracted abundant wildlife to cities. These animal species have adjusted their habits to adapt to the urban environments and avoid direct contact with humans, becoming invisible inhabitants of the city.
Image
Case Study of Human-Beaver Cooperation in Seattle
Adobe Suites
2022
The Thornton Creek project in Seattle shows the possibilities of Human-Beaver Cooperation, where designers prepared the site for beaver colonization and made use of their contribution for better community environments.
Image
Beaver Colonization
Adobe Suites
2022
Once colonizing, beavers will build their lodge on the edge or in the middle of pond with part of it submerged. They build dams to slow down water and guarantee the safety of their lodge.
Image
Beaver Contribution to Surrounding Habitat
Adobe Suites
2022
Beavers, as eco-engineers, create habitats for other species.
Image
Human-Beaver Coresponding Principles
2022
Assumptions are made about how the cooperation or co-engineering would happen. So once we create a habitat beavers prefer and succeed in inviting them to colonize, they will build their lodge and food cache. The habitat might not be perfect, so they also dam to construct. In this process, they cut trees for materials and food. Though we have planted vegetation for them, there are trees we need to protect ahead of time. Loss of edge vegetation and high water levels due to the dams could result in flooding. We can set a leveling pipe and enlarge the flooding plain to help. The dams help reframe the river bank and create ponds for habitat. We also can learn from this process to prepare the potential habitat for beavers.
Image
Dam Principles
2022
Basically understanding, dams stop water, recruit sediment, and LWDs and create ponds by impacting the flow. One effective approach is beaver dam analogs, which is man-made dams mimicking natural beaver dams. Another type of dam impacting the flow is constriction dams. They also help in guiding the flow of water. In urban environments, some infrastructures like piers have the potential to do the job, and they are able to limit the growth of vegetation as beaver prefer small trees to cut.
Image
Primary Pond Creation System
Adobe Suites
2022
The following system is proposed as a starting point. First of all, construct swales to collect stormwater and make use of bdas to widen the trench and create small ponds. Exciting infrastructures structure can also contribute to the process by stopping sediment and slowing down water, so years later, there will be a pond created in proper areas and a steady stream along the way. During the process, the water table could also increase and benefit vegetation. An appropriate habitat could be built and invite beavers to colonize. Once beavers colonize, humans could give the permission or authority to beavers, who may build more dams and create side channels.
Image
Section of Primary Pond
Adobe Suites
2022
The section shows how it might look on the site after years of development. Series of small ponds to collect and manage the stormwater along the valley and create a primary pond under the hub of the highway to attract beavers. Highway piers function as constriction dams in the system, railways will be left elevated from the water, and pipes go under the railway to help water distribute and avoid flooding.
Image
Sectional Perspective of Primary Pond in the Hub under Highway
Adobe Suites
2022
The rain pond is created as a primary pond to attract beavers to colonize, creating habitats for other species. Railway tracks are elevated for protection, which together with highway piers also work as constriction dams contributing to the pond creation.
Image
Sectional Perspective of Streams near the Baseball Field
Adobe Suites
2022
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Cursus mattis molestie a iaculis at erat. Elementum nisi quis eleifend quam adipiscing vitae proin sagittis nisl. Dui sapien eget mi proin sed libero enim. Euismod lacinia at quis risus.
- Architecture
- Ceramics
- Design Engineering
- Digital + Media
- Furniture Design
- Global Arts and Cultures
- Glass
- Graphic Design
- Industrial Design
- Interior Architecture
- Jewelry + Metalsmithing
- Landscape Architecture
- Nature-Culture-Sustainability Studies
- Painting
- Photography
- Printmaking
- Sculpture
- TLAD
- Textiles
