The Multi-Species City – an interactive workshop

Description

What if our cities weren’t designed just for humans, but as vibrant homes for many species at once? In this immersive workshop, participants explore the ethics and imagination of living together with other beings. Drawing inspiration from birds, insects, rodents, fungi, and plants, we co-create playful “mini-cities” that honor the entanglement of human and more-than-human life.

Flow:

Introduction (10 min)
– Short framing: “We were never individuals” – a perspective that reminds us we’re already woven into a larger fabric of life.
– Inspiration from actual species: the industrious weaver bird, the adaptive harvest mouse, the engineering beaver.

Paired/Group Activity (40–50 min)
– Step 1: Find a human partner.
– Step 2: Choose an animal/plant card intuitively (field cricket, weaver bird, harvest mouse, etc.).
– Step 3: Together, design and build a symbolic “home” for this hybrid community (using simple craft materials provided).
– Step 4: Place your home into a shared “multi-species city” space.

Reflection & Dialogue (15–20 min)
– What values and vulnerabilities emerged in the process?
– How do these resonate with our own work lives and ecosystems of collaboration?
– What can the more-than-human teach us about resilience, creativity, and care in our teams?

Benefits

Participants leave with a fresh lens for team dynamics, grounded in empathy and imagination. The workshop nurtures play, co-creation, and vitality — while subtly planting seeds of awareness about sustainability and shared futures.