COEXIST by Rona Binay

COEXIST MIXING WITH URBAN WILDLIFE

RONA BINAY

SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS MFA PRODUCTS OF DESIGN 2014

COEXIST MIXING WITH URBAN WILDLIFE

Š Copyright 2014 by Rona Binay All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photo-copying, recording or by any information storage retrieval system, without permission writing from the publisher.

For inquiries, contact ronabinay@gmail.com www.ronabinaythesis.tumblr.com Printed and bound in New York City.

Rona Binay Author Ayse Birsel Thesis Advisor Simon Johnson Editor Allan Chochinov Chair, MFA Products of Design at SVA

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BIRD FOREWORD LEXICON INTRODUCTION CHAPTER I, GOALS & OBJECTIVES CHAPTER II, RESEARCH

THE VALUE OF BIODIVERSITY ETHICS

PHONE CALL WITH HAL HERZOG

WILDLIFE IN NEW YORK CITY

SKYPE CALL WITH JASON MUNSHI-SOUTH CHAPTER III, AUDIENCE CHAPTER IV, METHODS CHAPTER V, IDEATION

ON-SITE OBSERVATIONS

PIGEON FOOD EXPERIMENT BIRDING NOCTURNAL WILDLIFE WALK

SOCIAL INTERVENTIONS IKENABA FRAMES SHORT STORY, IKENABA FRAMES CHAPTER VI, IMPLEMENTATION COEXIST

RAISING AWARENESS WILDSPOTTING TRACE

DESIGN INTERVENTIONS SYNANTHROPE SCONCES URBAN BIRDBATH FINCH

WHEN BIRDS COLLIDE WITH GLASS CHAPTER VII, LOOKING FORWARD BIBLIOGRAPHY ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ABOUT THE DESIGNER

9

Bird It was passed from one bird to another, the whole gift of the day.

The day went from flute to flute, went dressed in vegetation, in flights which opened a tunnel through the wind would pass to where birds were breaking open the dense blue air and there, night came in.

When I returned from so many journeys, I stayed suspended and green between sun and geography I saw how wings worked, how perfumes are transmitted by feathery telegraph, and from above I saw the path, the springs and the roof tiles, the fishermen at their trades, the trousers of the foam; I saw it all from my green sky.

I had no more alphabet than the swallows in their courses, the tiny, shining water of the small bird on fire which dances out of the pollen.

Pablo Neruda

FOREWORD

11 As a child, I always found the animals around me fascinating. After a rainy day I would go straight outside to our apartment building’s garden to see the earthworms coming out of the moist earth. I would collect them in a small bucket and bring them to my father who went fishing quite frequently at that time.

I was born in Washington D.C. in 1988.

My mother, father and 1-year-old sister, who is 28 now, had left Turkey and moved to the USA due to my father’s work. When I was 4-years-old we went back to Ankara, Turkey, which is the city where I was raised. Ankara is the capital of the country with a population of 4 million. It is by design, the bureaucratic centre and seat of government, and thus not the most exciting of cities.

Unlike Istanbul, Ankara is not a coastal city but its geography does experience the four seasons.

Our small apartment in Ankara is the place I remember as home. My mom, dad, sister, our various pets and myself lived together in that house. Never a whole month passed in which we did not have a pet. Along the way we had: birds - parakeet, lovebirds and a canary; we had an aquarium and also cats, a bunny and a hamster. I have so many memories with each of them that I cherish. However, for me, these were not the only animals that I could connect with. I loved watching animal documentaries with my father. I grew up listening to David Attenborough’s voice. So when we went for hiking as a family I would watch all the insects I

could find, especially ones I’d seen on TV, I remember catching a grasshopper with my hands to show how beautiful it was to my mother. She was always interested but didn’t let me bring them home because we had already had several frogs escaping from their DIY large size water bottle!

We also had stray cats around the streets of my neighborhood. Whenever me, my sister and our friends from neighborhood went outside to play they would come around to meow, ask for food, and then stick around until we stopped playing and gave them some attention. There was this one stray cat with beautiful fluffy white and brown fur coat and green eyes. Her name was Pati (paw in Turkish), I remember how she was so friendly and always around us. She was pregnant at one time and I saw the birth of her 4 kittens with my own eyes and then watched them growing up in my neighborhood. As a reminder I was still living in a city with a population of 4 million.

As a member of Generation Y, I feel like I was one of the few who spent their childhood on the streets playing, rather than playing with technological devices, like laptops and tablets. I am not opposed to this at all. We live in a technological driven world right now.

It’s hard to remember the times when we did not use smart phones, these devices are now pretty much a part of our body now. In a way they are part of our lives as much as nature is.

FOREWORD

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ISTANBUL, TURKEY

1995

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CENTRAL PARK, NYC

2014

LEXICON

15 To clarify the statements in this thesis work there are several words that has been used accordingly.

Anthropocentric: Considering human beings as the most significant entity of the universe. – Merriam-Webster Anthropocentrism: Anthropocentrism is the belief that human beings are the central or most significant species on the planet, or the assessment of reality through an exclusively human perspective. – Wikipedia Anthrozoology: Anthrozoology (also known as human–animal studies, or HAS) is the study of interaction between humans and other animals. – Wikipedia Biocentrism: The view or belief that the rights and needs of humans are not more important than those of other living things. – Wikipedia Biomimicry: The design and production of materials, structures, and systems that are modelled on biological entities and processes.

Biophilia: A hypothetical human tendency to interact or be closely associated with other forms of life in nature - Merriam-Webster Coexist: To exist together or at the same time – Merriam-Webster.

Egocentric: Concerned with the individual rather than society.

Habitat: The place or environment where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives and grows.

Species: a group of related animals or plants that is smaller than a genus.

Speciesism: The assumption of human superiority leading to the exploitation of animals. –Wikipedia Synanthrope: A synanthrope is a member of a species of wild animals and plants of various kinds that live near, and benefit from, an association with humans and the somewhat artificial habitats that humans create around them – Wikipedia User-centered design: User-centered design (UCD) is a design philosophy where the end-user’s needs, wants and limitations are a focus at all stages within the design process and development life cycle.

LEXICON

INTRODUCTION

17 New York City is a busy city with a population of 8.3 million1, which makes it the most populated city in the United States2, incorporating more immigration into the city than outgoing migration since the 2010 United States Census. Another key demographic feature of the city is the cultural diversity. About 36% of the city’s population is foreign-born3. And as many as 800 languages are spoken in New York4, making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world. Ethnicities differ from European to Australian, from Hispanic to Asian.

But humans are not the only living species who in New York City. When we pass beyond humans in the ecological chain, we see many different animals who share the same city with us. The most common ones that are watchable are the pigeons on the streets, squirrels in the parks, rats on the subway tracks, and occasionally ducks and geese if we live near or spend some time near the water.

New York however, despite wholly embracing its status as a ‘concrete jungle’ is a habitat for many other living species. In fact, a surprising array of uncommon and rare species can be found, including an endangered bird of New York State, the peregrine falcon, which nests on high-rise buildings and bridges in the city. Approximately 230 species of birds can be found in Central Park alone during the year. There are also salamanders, turtles, fireflies, butterflies, bees, raccoons, and even beavers and coyotes in the Bronx that

we do not see on a daily basis. But what does the variety of different species say about the City?

Wild animals depend on plants, trees, green spaces, land and watersheds for food and shelter. Biodiversity incorporates all this life at every level. The classic definition of biodiversity is the biological diversity in an environment as indicated by numbers of different species of plants and animals5 and also the ecological and evolutionary processes that sustain life. It is a well-known fact that biodiversity is an essential factor for increasing the health of the environment we live in. Biodiversity provides services that are key to the city’s quality of life, from clean air, clean water, and flood control to natural beauty. Yet scientists have only recently begun to study biodiversity in urban areas even though as of year 2010 more than 50% of the world population lives in6.

The demographic transition from rur al to urban is associated with shifts from an agriculture-based economy to mass industry, technology, and service. As an outcome, the diversity of plants, animals and habitat are often ignored, overlooked and underappreciated. As a consequence, during the past 400 years much of New York City has been built on and paved over, with only a small fraction of its original habitats remaining7. Today, the most signific ant threat s to New Yor k ’s biodiversity include: habitat destruction; alteration and fragmentation, changes in chemical balance in river and lakes

INTRODUCTION

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7

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Population (billions)

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4

3

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1

0 1950

1960

1970

DATA FROM UNITED NATIONS, 2010

1980

1990

2000

0

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Rural population Urban population

2010

2010

2030

2040

2050

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Rural population Urban population

30%

70%

RURAL & URBAN POPULATION PERCENTAGE BY 2050

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“Habitat loss will transform our perception of urban wildlife from being a nuisance to being a highly valued resource.”

JOYCE HWANG

ARCHITECTURE PROFESSOR UNIVERSITY OF BUFFALO

22 caused by pesticides, and fertilizers and also climate change8.

Of all the reasons of the decrease in biodiversity, loss of suitable habitat is the major cause for declines in species populations. Development, wetland filling, and other activities not only reduce the total amount of habitat, but also fragment remaining forest, grassland, and wetland habitat into patches too small and too isolated to support some animal species. The fragmented areas, which are known as habitat islands, are being divided by roads and highways. When salamanders and turtles attempt to cross roads to travel between the populations they are increasingly being hit and killed by vehicles everyday. The beautiful skyline of New York City with high-rise buildings embracing the modern architecture with glass and steel buildings cause nearly 19.000 birds die just by crashing into windows every year in the City 9.

Without the conservation of urban biodiversity, many habitats and species, and much variation within species will be lost.

because people are more likely to take action for biodiversity if they have direct contact with nature” (International Conference of the Competence Network Urban Ecology CONTUREC 2008). In this sense, cities are not only the problem but also the solution for the conservation of biodiversity globally.

‘Coexist’ focuses on using design as a tool to explore the coexistence between humans and animals (non-humans) in urban areas and distilling the research for New York City specifically. The goal of the work is to provide a citywide perspective on the importance of urban biodiversity, promote community involvement for the biodiversity in New York City, propose design solutions to create stronger relationships between humans and synanthropes and to encourage New Yorkers to interact with nature, which can lead people to become active participants in the conservation of biodiversity in their urban environment.

By 2030, 6 out of every 10 people will live in a city, and by 2050, this ratio will increase to 7 out of 10 people 6 . In recognition of this fact, researchers, scientists, designers and others gathered in 2008 to explore possible interventions at a convention on biological diversity in towns and cities. The Erfurt Declaration Urbio 2008 which has developed from this conference states that “Experiencing urban biodiversity will be the key to halting the loss of global biodiversity,

INTRODUCTION

23 1. “U.S. Census Bureau 2012 estimate: NYC & NY”. Retrieved July 10, 2013.

2. Blake Ellis (March 25, 2011).

“America’s 5 biggest cities”. CNN. Retrieved February 17, 2013.

3. New York City Department of City Planning (2005). “The Newest New Yorkers: 2000” . Retrieved 2007-03-27.

4. “Linguistics- Say what?”. The Economist. September 10, 2011.

Retrieved October 24, 2013.

5. http://www.merriam-webster.com/ dictionary/biodiversity 6. Global Health Organization http:// www.who.int/gho/urban_health/ situation_trends/urban_population_ growth_text/en/ 7. Biodiversity Assessment Handbook for New York City, ERIK KIVIAT & ELIZABETH A. JOHNSON 8. Department of Environmental Conservation http://www.dec.ny.gov/ animals/279.html 9. Ny Times http://www.nytimes. com/2011/09/15/nyregion/making-newyorks-glass-buildings-safer-for-birds. html

INTRODUCTION

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NEW YORK CITY

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BRONX

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CHAPTER I GOALS & OBJECTIVES

29 We need to take action to make cities habitable for both humans and urban non-human animals. The increasing urban population, climate change and loss of biodiversity are all strongly connected. With two-thirds of a considerably larger world population predicted to be living in urban areas by 2050, there is the potential for cities not to be the problem but the solution for conservation of biodiversity. ‘Coexist’ aims to raise greater public awareness of biodiversity in urban areas and provide systematic solutions by linking urban wildlife and design.

CHAPTER I

GOALS & OBJECTIVES

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CENTRAL PARK

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CHAPTER II RESEARCH

35

THE VALUE OF BIODIVERSITY We depend on biodiversity all day, every day. Many medicines are derived from plant extracts such as aspirin from the bark of willow tree and muscle creams from mint leaves. Oysters and mussels filter the water from suspended sediments and excessive nutrients.

Trees and plants provide cooling shade and help to stabilize global climate by eliminating carbon dioxide as well as providing the oxygen we breathe every second we live from birth to death.

Plants and soil absorb storm-water in the process removing pollutants and replenishing underground water supplies. This creates healthy landscapes.

In urban areas, the natural landscape is replaced by concrete and asphalt which causes contaminant storm-water to end up in local waterways.

As well as improving the quality of life by providing clean air and clean water biodiversity is essential for the variety of foods we consume. The very existence of one third of our food depends on the services of pollinators. Once, to demonstrate our reliance on pollinator insects and animals, the Whole Foods Market in Rhode Island removed all produce items that are dependent on bees and other pollinators. The produce team pulled 52% of the normal product mix in the department- 237 of 435 products. Some include, apples, kale, lemons, onions, cucumbers, eggplant, avocados and the list goes on.

Healthy soil includes many small organisms that break down dead plants

CHAPTER II

and animals, and in the process nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus are recycled to enrich the soil, enabling growth to continue.

Nature also affects us both physically and mentally. Research shows interactions with nature restore concentration, calm anxiety, and reduce aggression in adults and children. A rising percentage of young people now spend many hours each day on the Internet or playing video games. Indeed, capitalism works best when young people stay indoors watching TV or spending time in front of computers but overexposure to electronic reality may cause mental disorientation. One study has shown that even few hours a week spent online caused a ‘deterioration of social and psychological life’ and higher levels of depression and loneliness in its subjects.1 Nature is also a source of inspiration and ideas. Inventors, scientists, architects and engineers often turn to nature for ideas. The invention of the jet plane for example was inspired by the observation of a flock of birds in flight in a V-formation.

1 Harman, 1998

ETHICS RESEARCH

36

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NORTHERN CARDINAL, MALE

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Philosophical thinking on moral standing of animals is diverse and can be generally grouped into three general categories: Indirect theories, direct but unequal theories, and moral equality theories.

Indirect theories deny animals’ moral status or equal consideration with humans due to a lack of consciousness, reason, or autonomy. Although these theories deny moral status to animals, they may still be against cruelty or causing unnecessary harm to animals as this diminishes a human being’s morality. Philosophers such as Immanuel Kant, René Descartes, Thomas Aquinas, Peter Carruthers, and various religious theories have formulated such indirect arguments.

Direct but unequal theories accord some moral consideration to animals, but deny them a fuller moral status due to their inability to respect another agent’s rights or display moral reciprocity within a community of equal agents. Arguments in this category consider the sentience of the animal as sufficient reason not to cause direct harm to animals. However, where the interests of animals and humans’ conflict, the special properties of being human such as rationality, autonomy, and self-consciousness accord higher consideration to the interests of human beings.

Moral equality theories extend equal consideration and moral status to animals by refuting the supposed moral

CHAPTER II

relevance of the aforementioned special properties of human beings. Arguing by analogy, moral equality theories often extend the concept of rights to animals on the grounds that they have similar physiological and mental capacities as infants or disabled human beings.

Philosophers such as Peter Singer and Tom Regan have formulated arguments in this category.

Moral equality theories often embrace the belief of biocentrism. Biocentrism is an ethical point of view that the rights and needs of humans are not more important than those of other living things. The term stands in contrast to anthropocentrism, which centers on humans being the most significant species on the planet. Bio centric ethics encourages the rethinking of the relationship between humans and nature.

It states that nature does not exist simply to be used or consumed by humans, but that humans are simply one species amongst many1. With that said, because we are part of an ecosystem, any actions which negatively affect the living systems of which we are a part adversely affect us as well1,2, whether or not we maintain a bio centric worldview. Advocates of biocentrism often promote conservation of biodiversity, animal rights, and environmental protection.

American author and activist Alice Walker once said: “The animals of the world exist for their own reasons.

They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men”.

RESEARCH

41 Similar to the prejudices of racism or sexism, some animal rights advocates uses a term to argue the assumption of human superiority leading to the exploitation of animals, which is called speciesism.

The term speciesism was first written by British psychologist Richard D. Ryder in 1970. He argued in the pamphlet with the same title as the term that: “Since Darwin, scientists have agreed that there is no ‘magical’ essential difference between humans and other animals, biologically-speaking. Why then do we make an almost total distinction morally? If all organisms are on one physical continuum, then we should also be on the same moral continuum3.”

But what’s behind these real-world ethical dilemmas? What are the reasons for humans’ complex interactions with other species? Author Hal Herzog has been investigating this complex psychology or our actions towards animals for more than two decades.

After reading his book: ‘Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It’s So Hard to Think Straight About Animals’, I was able to contact him and he was kind enough to set a phone call with from Smoky Mountains.

ogy: Biocentrism & Deep Ecology”. Alarm: A Journal of Revolutionary Ecology 2 Ingram, David; Jennifer Parks (2002).

The complete idiot’s guide to understanding ethics. Alpha Books. p. 201.

ISBN 978-0-02-864325-0.

3 Barlian, Y. Michael (2004). “Speciesism as a precondition to justice”, Politics and the Life Sciences, 23(1), March, pp. 22–33 Ryder, Richard D. (2009) [1998]. “Speciesism,” in Marc Bekoff (ed.), Encyclopedia of Animal Rights and Animal Welfare.

Greenwood.

Yu, Lei, Mouchang, Yi (2009). “13. Biocentric Ethical Theories”. Environment and Development - Vol. II. China. p. 422.

ISBN 978-1-84826-721-3.

Waldau, Paul (2009) [1998]. “Speciesism: Historical Views,” in Marc Bekoff (ed.), Encyclopedia of Animal Rights and Animal Welfare, Greenwood.

1 Judi Bari (1995). “Revolutionary Ecol-

CHAPTER II

RESEARCH

42

PHONE CALL WITH HAL HERZOG ON ETHICS OF ANIMALS

FEBRUARY 22, 2014

43 I’ve just had an eye opening phone call with Hal Herzog, author of the wonderful book: ‘Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It’s So Hard to Think Straight About Animals’.

We have discussed about the differences in human perception towards wild animals living in the city. Majority of people like more or show more respect for the animals which look cute, fluffy, colorful or large in size. Squirrels have a better reputation than rats even though they share the same class and order in scientific classification. You could also see many tourists trying take pictures with their phones spotting a squirrel. On the other hand rats are the most hated animals of New York City. Maybe it is the fluffy tail squirrels have or because they prefer daylight. Butterflies are considered beautiful because of their colorful wings, although they are insects.

In any case, we both agreed on that most animals are not on the radar of an average New Yorker even though the city provides a great variety of them. Central Park for example is an amazing place for bird watchers and/or environmentalists.

But how can we change the perception of animals being excluded only for environmentalists and make more people involved and make observing wildlife a regular thing in humans’ daily lives?

The conversation continued as imagining the possibility of shifting people’s hatred to a positive action towards certain animals such as rats and pigeons and accepts them for who they are. Herzog gave a really interesting example from 1960’s Japan, where the industry advertised rhinoceros beetles to keep as pets.

Rhinoceros beetles are big as the size of a palm, they are usually black, have 6 legs and small antennas, similar to many insects. But as a result of marketing, people actually kept them in homes, the children had them as pets. When people start to like an animal, they tend to keep them as pets as an ownership. So changing human behaviors is not impossible.

Talking to Hal Herzog was a delight. If you have not been reading his blog Animal and Us on www.psychologytoday.com, I would strongly advise to start today.

Raises so many questions around the ethics of human-animal relationship.

44

WILDLIFE IN NEW YORK CITY About five thousand years ago, the first inhabitants of the land that would become New York City lived among black bears, mountain lions, beavers, wolves, mink, otter, dolphins, whales, many different types of birds and abundant fish and shellfish. The land was full of wildflowers, grapes, raspberries, cranberries and strawberries.

During 16th and 17th centuries, Europeans started to enter the region for the trade of mink, muskrat and beaver fur. Dutch and afterwards English settlements grew at the foot of Manhattan Island and created a community of traders. This small community expanded to become the largest metropolis of the United States. During the 1800s humans poured into New York City and many of the larger species of wildlife left the land. But reptiles, amphibians, birds, invertebrates and small mammals such as rats and squirrels managed to stay and survive. In the late 1800s, the city was expanding so fast that it raised a question, if there would still be access to nature. This concern led to creation of first landscaped public park in the United States, Central Park. Trees and birds were introduced to the park from Europe, exotic plants and animals populated the parks from far away lands. Some animals crossed the oceans with the immigrants on ships. With that said, with the arrival of Europeans, the natural world of New York City changed dramatically. Some species disappeared while new ones arrived.

CHAPTER II

Wildlife Conservation Society ecologist Eric Sanderson states that if Manhattan was kept as it was 400 years ago, we would think of it as the Yellowstone National Park of the East Coast. Today, however, with deforestation, habitat loss, urbanization and over population, humans’ connection to nature decreased.

The fragmented areas, which are known as habitat islands, isolated some species such as salamanders and white-footed mouse while not providing enough spaces to live in for larger species.

However, the city still is a complex ecosystem. There are hundreds of species of birds including red-tail hawks, great blue herons. There are also monarch butterflies, dragonflies, and chipmunks, painted turtles, little brown bats, raccoons and many others. Curiously enough, I continued my research by talking to people who are in direct connection with the wildlife of New York City today. From urban park rangers to scientists, rooftop beekeepers to bird watchers and people who created a connection with the feral birds, the pigeons.

RESEARCH

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BRONX RIVER PARK

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EASTERN GRAY SQUIRREL

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MALLARD DUCKS

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CENTRAL PARK

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SKYPE CALL WITH JASON MUNSI-SOUTH ON ANIMALS OF NEW YORK CITY

FEBRUARY 14, 2014

51 Jason Munshi-South’s lab is at Fordham University’s Louis Calder Center studies urban wildlife. South shared his predictions on what animals to expect in coming years in New York City to NY Magazine January 2014 Issue. Some of his predictions include otter, bobcat, black bear and mountain lion. One of the biggest factors in changing species populations is climate change.

After writing an email and explaining my thesis goals and objectives South was kind enough to take the time to discuss my questions via Skype. South is leading a study on salamanders’ genetic differences depending on neighborhoods.

Salamanders live where there is moist earth and near water. He and his PhD students collect salamander DNAs from New York City and study under the microscopes. What they found out is fascinating.

The habitat of salamanders in New York City is crossed by a bridge, which makes it harder for them to migrate to the otheside. Having the highway in between usually causes them to get killed by cars before they can reach their destinations. Other than stating a problem of humans designing for themselves but not considering other species, South’s study also reveals that the salamanders from the different locations have differences in their DNAs. Due to the salamanders’ adaptation to their habitat, South is able to take a DNA sample and tell which neighborhood that salamander sample comes from. The same study continues for rats in the city.

Rats have a life span of 2 years and do not travel different locations often. This makes them adaptable to their environment. Also another interesting study shows that if they are located in a Hispanic neighborhood and they find spicy food, those rats are more likely to prefer spicy food to another typer. This insight shows how directly humans affect the living beings around us.

South and his students have also placed a camera in the Bronx and captured a photo of a coyote family. Having coyotes in an urban environment is not common however due to climate change and habitat destruction they now tend to migrate to urban parks for a new habitat. South also states that we are going to be more likely to see these wild animals soon.

As a result, it is a fact that we are always going to share an environment with different species. If we are more aware and learn more about them we will understand how to cope and respect. http://nymag.com/news/features/future-animals-2014-2/

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Hot Spots

1. Van Cortland Park 2. Pelham Park 3. Centrtal Park, Conservatory Gar den 4. Central Park, Strawberr y Field s

5. Cunningham Park 6. Botanical Gar den 7. Pr ospect Par k 8. Jamaica B ay Wildlif e Re fugee

BUTTERFLY HOT SPOTS

9. Bennet Field 10. Bryant Park 11. Inwood Hill Park

THE BRONX

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BROOKL YN

Hot Spots

1. 180th Str eet 2. 167th Str eet

SALAMANDER HOT SPOTS

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CHAPTER III AUDIENCE

57 Animals have been and continue to be matters of subjects for many fields.

Science, more specifically biology, studies the structure, function, growth, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy of life and living organisms. Architecture and engineering has examined the nature, its models, systems, and processes for the purpose of gaining inspiration in order to solve man-made problems1. Philosophers such as John Berger, Descartes and Montaigne made statements around ethics on the relationship between human beings and animals2.

Authors and poets such as Shakespeare, Pablo Neruda found the inspiration from nature in their literature. Animals are also matters of subjects for documentaries, psychology, health, food, fashion and sports such as fishing.

This thesis explores the coexistence of humans and nonhumans in an urban environment through the lenses of physical, intellectual and spiritual level. The target audience of the work stretches from wildlife enthusiasts, who enjoy learning about the wildlife but do not actively take part of conserving the biodiversity, to experts in the field. New York City becomes a filter to define a location that creates the opportunities to specify examples under a framework.

ous about the different techniques in conservation of biodiversity as well as creating a connection with nature.

New York Department of Park and Recreations stand as one of the biggest stakeholders of the field since green areas are the common habitats for most animals in the city. Urban planners, architects, environmental activists, ecologists, the enthusiasts such as birdwatchers, urban beekeepers are in the scope of this work. http://ngm.nationalgeographic. com/2008/04/biomimetics/tom-muellertext L’Esprit CrÊateur ,Volume 46, Number 1, Spring 2006, pp. 96-107 | 10.1353/ esp.2006.0009

Though, this thesis does not have the ultimate goal to reach out for as many people as possible. But raise new questions and suggest a different point of view for the innovators and early adopters. Early adopters share the interest in wildlife of New York City and curi-

CHAPTER III

AUDIENCE

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MIXING WITH SYNANTHROPES

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CHAPTER IV METHODS

61 Research for this thesis has conducted in New York City through experiments with animals, interviews with experts, surveys with local residents and personal observations. From the initial idea to the iteration of this thesis project, methods of design thinking have been practiced in order to simplify complex problems. Along the process three spaces are kept in mind: research, ideation and implementation. Research is the problem or opportunity that motivates the search for solutions. Ideation is the process of generating, developing, and testing ideas. Implementation is the path that leads from the project stage into people’s lives1. Methods that has been used include; data visualizations, innovation strategy, interviews, on-site observations, surveys, sketches, mappings, rapid prototyping, creating business models and testing on locations.

Sources from different fields have been taken into consideration such as psychology: Children and Nature by Kahn and Kellert, technology: Next Nature by Koert Van Mensvoort and Hendrik Jan Grievink, The Distraction Addiction by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, philosophy: The Biophilia Hypothesis edited by Kellert and Edward O. Wilson, Some We Love, Some We Hate Some We Eat - Why It’s So Hard to Think Straight About Animals by Hal Herzog, children’s books: Architecture According to Pigeons by Stella Gurney, non-fiction: Romanticism and the Materiality of Nature by Onno Oerlemans, biology: Do Butterflies Bite? by David and Butler, short stories and poems, animal specific books: Rats by Robert Sullivan, The

CHAPTER IV

Global Pigeon by Colin Jerolmack, New York specific books: Field Guide to the Natural World of New York City

by Leslie Day, Wild New York: A Guide to the Wildlife, Wild Places and Natural P h e n o m e n a o f N e w Yo r k C i t y b y Margaret Mittelbach and books about future and speculative thinking: Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100 by Michio Kaku, Speculative Everything: Design, Fiction, and Social Dreaming Hardcover Anthony Dunne, Fiona Raby.

Looking at the subject from different approaches was an intentional decision.

An idea is always part of a system that is a part of a larger system. That is why this thesis does not explore nonhumans and humans relationship only from a designer point of view but embraces different approaches to be able to create a holistic vision during the ideation process.

1 http://www.ideo.com/about/

METHODS

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BOOKSHELF

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CHAPTER V IDEATION

65 Ideation is the process of generating, developing, and testing ideas. In order to make the urban areas more habitable for both humans and non-humans, we need to take action from different approaches. The approaches include education, raising awareness, urban interventions and social innovations.

As a person who is already curious about the topic but new to the city of New York I have spent many days outdoors looking for the animals in parks, streets and rooftops. I’ve reached out to experts from scientists to architects, local animal lovers to urban farmers and listen to their point of views. As a designer, I have created visuals of my ideas with sketches, diagrams, maps, and storyboards. The inspirations I found around the city or from the stories being told sparked new thoughts, which led to video experiments and rapid prototypes.

there are any rats on the rails and if there are, what are they doing. I did see many rats on the rails within my seven months of observations. As it can be assumed, they were after the food that has been thrown to the rail system by commuters. I talked to Sigi Moeslinger and from Antenna Design who designed the MTA/New York City Transit R142/R142A Subway Car in 2000. I asked their opinion on what it could be done to control rat population at the subway system. They replied simply by saying: ‘If people do not eat at subway stations, the population of rats will be reduced due to reduction of food sources.’ So maybe instead of having ‘Do Not Feed the Birds’ signs in every park, why don’t we have ‘Do Not Eat in Subway Stations’ signs underground?

ON-SITE OBSERVATIONS The Internet, researches from publications, writings, getting into discussions, and drawing sketches are great ways to develop ideas. But in order to approach an idea correctly, staying indoor and talking or drawing about scenarios might lead the idea to be based on assumptions. Natalie Jeremijenko, founder of Environmental Health Clinic in New York, mentions in one of her interviews: “This whole idea that we address environmental issues by not doing stuff just doesn’t work.”

The importance of being on location has leaded me to look for wildlife in the city intentionally on my daily basis.

Waiting for a subway, I would look if

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Pigeon Food Experiment IDEATION

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“This whole idea that we address environmental issues by not doing stuff just doesn’t work.”

NATALIE JEREMIJENKO

SCIENTIST, ENGINEER, ARTIST PROFESSOR AT NYU

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NATALIE JEREMIJENKO WITH HER STUDENTS AT BRONX RIVER PARK

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INITIAL SKETCHES

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Another animal that can be seen on a daily basis is of course the infamous feral pigeon. Pigeons have the popular nickname as “rats with wings”, which explains their being “out of place” in a shared environment. Though, when we look at history, pigeons were used as messengers in war times or as “live compass” for sailors because of their exceptional ability to remember routes and find places. Pigeons are considered to be one of the most intelligent birds on the planet. It has also been found to pass the ‘mirror test’ a test of self-recognition. In scientific tests pigeons have been found to be able to differentiate between photographs and even differentiate between two different human beings in a photograph when rewarded with food for doing so.

Although some see pigeon droppings as a problem in modern society, a few centuries ago pigeon guano was seen as extremely valuable. It was viewed as the best available fertilizer and armed guards would even stand by pigeon houses to stop others taking the droppings. Another amazing fact about pigeons is that the pigeon can see color in the same way that humans do but they can also see ultra-violet, a part of the spectrum that humans can not see. So after all these facts I argue that these birds do not deserve the bad reputation they have in New York City.

Knowing more about them made me want to watch them more carefully. As an experiment I decided to take footage of pigeons about their eating behaviors. I live close to Macri Triangle Park

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in Williamsburg where I see flocks of pigeons everyday on my way to the subway station. The park is located next to Williamsburg Bridge where the birds hide and sleep under. My goal with the experiment was to film them eating off a Go Pro camera steeped in feed. Go Pro is a small camera, which has a wide-angle lens. I assumed this would be a rather easy thing to do, since they are known for eating any food source and they are many in numbers.

However, it was a 3-day experiment with an interesting result.

On the first day I went to the park at 12pm with my Go Pro, placed the camera where the birds were mostly located. I covered the camera with Irish oatmeal and waited for the birds to eat them. But no birds seemed interested. After a while I decided to come earlier the next day, assuming that they were already full.

For the second test, I was at the park at 7:30 am. Even though I was up and rise, the birds were still sleeping in. I tried to get their attention by scattering oatmeal flakes close to them but none seemed to be ready to get up just yet.

I decided to wait them to get out from their hidings while eating my bagel.

Around 8:30 am I began to see some small groups of flocks. I place my camera just as in the first test and covered it with oatmeal flakes this time. After 12 minutes, the result was the same.

No birds were interested to eat oatmeal flakes.

For my third test, I was at the park at 10:30 am and had rice cake pieces this time. It was the most numbers of birds

IDEATION

75 I saw at that spot so far. I counted 34 pigeons, 5 house sparrows and 7 starlings near by. Just like before I placed my camera and food and started to wait. After 20 minutes, still no birds except some house sparrows were interested in my healthy choices of food.

At 11 am things have changed. An older gentleman arrived and scattered his leftover dinner on the ground. All the birds flew from trees to the ground for the food. The food he provided was rice with chicken. His name is Miguel and he comes to this spot every day at 11 am to feed the birds since 1998. During that time, he received several tickets of $50 from the police for feeding the birds. But he said he likes his birds and will continue to feed them every day.

Birds also seemed to enjoy his presence.

Pigeons usually live for 20 years and I was curious that if he has been feeding them for the past 16 year, do birds recognize him? He seemed to be delighted by this question and confidently replied: ‘Yes.’ And it was true. I saw him entering the park and all the birds started to gather. I explained Miguel my project and he laughed by sharing his experience, ‘they won’t eat oatmeal, they like rice.’ %68 of adult American are known to be dealing with problems of obesity and being overweight. As a matter of fact science now proves that animals live close to humans also started to suffer from the same problems.

So biologically speaking, we are not that different.

Pigeons Show Superior Self-recognition Abilities To Three Year Old Humans, Keio

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University, 2006 Birds of a feather don’t always stick together, University of Utah, 2012

Birding The psychological benefits of green spaces increase by biodiversity. The world’s human population is becoming

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78 concentrated into cities, giving rise to concerns that it is becoming increasingly isolated from nature. Urban public green spaces form the arena of many people’s daily contact with nature and such contact has measurable physical and psychological benefits. Semi-structured interviews took place in green spaces of the city such as Central Park, Prospects Park, Macri Triangle and Madison Square Park with green space users. Closed-ended questions explored psychological well-being and respondents’ perceptions of green space species richness. Well-being measures focused on green space as a source of cognitive restoration, positive emotional bonds and sense of identity. Responders agreed that having a richer biodiversity had the affect of relaxation and peacefulness.

Some of the green space users include birdwatchers that specifically come to parks to spot, identify and watch birds.

New York is geographically located on migration path, which makes it a stopping spot for over 250 species. After joining birdwatcher groups, I was able to talk to experts and enthusiasts of the activity.

One of the birding walks is led by Dr. Robert DeCandido, PhD, better known around Central Park as “Birding Bob,” who has led guided walks in the park for over 20 years. He is joined in leading the walks by Deborah Allen, a noted New York City bird and nature photographer. During weekends the walks start at 9:00 am and continues until 1pm. The cost is $10.

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My first Sunday walk with the group started at Boat House. It was the beginning of November. By the beginning of November nearly all of the fall migrants pass through, leaving the park occupied with the resident birds until winter birds start to visit. This was first experience in bird watching so I did not know what to expect. As a group we have walked around with our binoculars and looked carefully to tree branches to spot them. When someone spots a bird, they would yell its species name to get other birders’ attention.

At that time my knowledge on bird species names was limited by house sparrows, Canadian geese, mallard ducks and robins.

As we continued our walk a birder has spotted a bird and said: ‘winter is coming early this year.’ This detection was not made by looking at a smart phone for forecast updates but only by spotting a live species. Understanding the season change from another species and not being depending on a technological device for information was fascinating. The bird he spotted was a Dark-Eyed Juncos jay. Dark-eyed Juncos are primarily a winter visitor.

What if this knowledge of biodiversity could be shared easily and combined with technology? This question builds the basis of Weather Birds, an application where the weather information is provided by the pattern of migratory birds.

The watchable wildlife changes a c -

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79 co r din g to s e a s o n s , w e ath er conditions and time of the day. Outdoor research and observations for this thesis has taken place from October to April.

Due to cold weather conditions I was able to mostly record winter birds, and animals that can be seen all seasons, such as squirrels. By the end of March, the mating season for many animals species has began, where more animals become easier to find. I continued my day time observations as well as night walks.

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NOCTURNAL WILDLIFE WALK WITH URBAN RANGERS AT CENTRAL PARK

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89 Last night I had a refreshing walk in Central Park with urban park rangers. I found out about the event; Nocturnal Wildlife, from NYC Parks website (http://www. nycgovparks.org/). The description stated: ‘Rangers will guide you to the best wildlife viewing spots in New York City. Don’t miss this rare chance to meet wildlife that only comes out at night. We will look for bats, raccoons, and maybe even owls!’ I haven’t gotten the chance for a night animal watch yet in Central Park so this was a great opportunity. It was one of those rainy days in New York. I called up the Belvedere Castle to see if the event still continues. The ranger replied: ‘Yes, of course. We will still be looking for animals.’

I entered Central Park at 6:45 PM. The weather was windy, rainy and the earth was moist. For research and documentation purposes I was carrying a Canon 5D camera with a heavy lens. Coming straight from the studio, I also had my laptop, sketchbooks, left over lunch and a compact camera in my backpack. I could feel that I was sinking in into the moist earth in every step. On the flip side I hadn’t seen the park this empty of people and fog was creating the most beautiful view reflecting the light from skyscrapers. When I reached Belvedere Castle where the meeting point was, there were two rangers and a group of 4 people, ready for the watch.

Ranger Sunny and Ranger Stephanie were leading the way to bats, raccoons and owls that night. The final group of watchers included myself and family with a 7 year-old girl named Isabella. As we were a small group I was able ask questions informally. I asked the family about their reasons to participate for the walk.

They wanted to come because they wanted Isabella not to lose connection with nature even though they live in a big city. They wanted her to be aware of other living things. And they admitted that they were also interested to see the wildlife themselves!

We started off by spotting a raccoon tucked in and sleeping between a column and outside the window of Belvedere Castle. The rangers added that it was a favorite spot among raccoons and squirrels. We continued our journey by going outside and hearing Robins singing. There were surprisingly lots of them! The reason why Robins like rainy weather is the worms that come out. And they do like to eat worm! On the other hand the rain made the bats hide in. Bats enjoy eating insects and most insects like to stay dry. No insects mean any delicious reason for bats to get wet.

March is a mating season for a lot of animals. This is why we were able to spot many raccoon families along the way. Some of them were out to find food for their babies while some of them were sleeping in the coves of trees staying warm and dry.

90 The geese and mallard ducks did not seem to be bothered by the rain and were enjoying swimming in the pond.

After an hour walk the family was ready to leave for home and have dinner. So it was only myself, Ranger Sunny and Ranger Stephanie. The rangers asked me if I’d like to continue the walk or if I would like to leave also. My answer was simple; I wanted to see the famous little screeching owl.

As we continued our walk while looking at tree branches for a shadow that seemed out of place, I asked about their reason for holding programs like these wildlife observation events in the park. Ranger Sunny confidently answered by stating: ‘to spark the curiosity for wildlife in people. New York City is really rich for its biodiversity. If people become curious about something they are more likely to learn more and be more active about it.’ And in this case it is the conservation of biodiversity. I couldn’t agree more.

In a bid to raise awareness of the nature and wildlife around us and the importance for us of its conservation, apportioning guilt and continually referring to what people are doing wrong is not working especially when you are addressing people who don’t really care anyway. We need to develop our own appreciation of the wildlife around us and share and help others share/spread this appreciation and develop inspiration. The system would work with a trickle effect with one drop joining another transforming into streams and waterfalls. The idea of sparking curiosity opens up an opportunity for social innovation.

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SOCIAL INTERVENTIONS The active research and body storming have all influenced into brain storming process for physical design approaches.

Many sketches and ideas with low resolution have been explored. Some include public advertisements as a reminder for empathy, other include ideas on a speculative side.

Ikenaba Frames From a more speculative point of view, this thesis envisioned a future scenario where science proves that plants have feelings. For most of history, when humans speculated about the inner nature of plants, they have done it in the language of souls or spirits. Aristotle assumed that plants have a “vegetal soul,� but is incapable of sensation; many traditional religions of the past and present, like Jainism, consider plants to possess souls, and followers treat them accordingly.

The notion that plants are capable of feeling emotions was first recorded in 1848, when Dr. Gustav Theodor Fechner, a German experimental psychologist, suggested that plants are capable of emotions and that one could promote healthy growth with talk, attention, attitude, and affection.

Grover Cleve Backster, Jr., an interrogation specialist has reported observing that a polygraph instrument attached to a plant leaf registered a change in electrical resistance when the plant was harmed or even threatened with harm.

To elaborate on this idea some plants also displayed strong aversion to interspecies violence. As an example, if a live species is being killed in their presence the plant might also have a stressful response.

Jumping off from the research and experiments regarding plants capturing feelings of their surrounding environment, I envisioned a future scenario where printed photos and photo frames are replaced by plants.

In this future scenario: - Printing photos is only a nostalgic idea.

- Overload from digital records; digital photos, videos etc.

- Humans still have the attachment for special memories and seek reminders (just like a family photo at their office table or the photo wall along staircases or above the fire place etc.)

Solution: Humans use plants as reminders of their feelings at a certain moment.

When a person would like to capture the feeling of the moment, s/he just cuts off a branch of plant and places it into an Ikenaba Frame. The feeling that is captured inside the plant is a reminder of the moment forever.

The frames vary in sizes. They are available for a portrait with a single section as well as group or family photos with different numbers of sections.

At the end of all, according to the caveman principle, how ever many great

95 technological innovations occur, humans will always have the need to feel their emotions in an analog way. http://www.newyorker.com/ reporting/2013/12/23/131223fa_fact_ pollan?currentPage=all http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleve_ Backster http://theweek.com/article/ index/239813/do-plants-have-feelings

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Swallow Dead silence. There is only the very low buzzing sound from the electronics in the house to fill up the space. But this is how people define silence nowadays. It is 3:14 in the middle of the night. You are in bed. Eyes wide open. You tried the trick that you have been trying for the last 16 days. The one your great grandma taught you.

You close your eyes, imagine a night sky, small white stars, and a crescent moon.

There is a white fence right across the hill. You imagine white, fluffy sheep. They start jumping over the fence one by one. You’re counting. 1…2…3…4…5…6.... you are doing better than last night keep counting, 7…8…A memory flashes in your mind. It’s her face again.

She’s trying to hide under her grey scarf to get warmer. It is a cold winter in Paris.

You and her are making your way from Hôtel des Invalides to Musee de L’Orangerie to see Monet’s “Waterlilies”. She liked art history. On the way, you both stop to watch a street performer. You don’t care for it that much, you wish you were at some place warm, but she seems to like it. So you stay. There is a big circle of crowd around the dancer. A small kid’s robot pet dog standing next to you started to give errors, make weird noises and move like a crazy. Even though the 5-yearold kid was scared, you and her couldn’t help but laugh out loud. You tried to be quiet to show respect to the mother and her crying kid but as the robot dog did the uncontrolled jumps and rolls on the ground she was laughing louder and louder.

She didn’t care. You waited for her to hold one of your arms and squeeze it tighter, as she always does while laughing. She did it again. You were right. You turned your head and looked at her. She noticed and looked back at you, smiling. You loved her smile… You both didn’t want this feeling to end so you pull a branch of flowers on your way to the museum to add in one of your Ikenaba Frames at home.

No. Wait. Stop. You shake your head as if it is going to help you stop thinking about the memory. The feelings you shared are all in past now. She moved on, you remember. She lives in a different city, in a different country, in a different continent. You let her go, remember? You believed her when she said nothing is going to change. Sure, seeing her face during a face-call projected on your wall screen and being able to talk for hours helped for some time. But she was wrong.

It changed, everything… You wonder what she is doing right now. You read that she’s doing really well. That’s what her profile update said anyways.

3:32 am. No amount of counting sheep is going to help you sleep tonight. Where are those sleeping pills? The medicine bottle is right next to the empty glass. You get up, take the glass with you and go to the kitchen. The lights turn on automatically as you pass through the living room. It hurts your eyes, ‘Not so bright!’ you say out

106 loud to the empty room, the lights lower down for a comfortable sight. The room was not always this empty. You and her used to stay-in all day watch movies from the wall screen or have friends over, host dinner parties. The only things that have feelings in this apartment now are you and the plants in Ikenaba plants.

You threw out all the Ikenaba plants of you and her. You couldn’t stand to see those plants, which captured the feelings of the moment. But you kept the one of you and her in Paris. It reminded you of the photo you had of your grandma and grandpa. They were laughing in the picture just like when you cut the flower for the Ikenaba. You wonder if your parents were sharing the same feelings as you and her did when the photo was taken. But you will never know, people did not know that plants can sense the environment’s feelings at the time and you could save them just like they did in picture frames in old times.

On your way to the kitchen you glance at the wall where you hang your Ikenabas and picture frames from your grand parents’ childhood; the time he went to the pond, to the sea, your dad’s family Christmas, your Interrail trip when you were 19, the first day when you moved to this apartment, and Paris with her.

You remember her profile status from yesterday, which said ‘I love this city! #newcareer #newbeginnings #currentmood #happy’. You imagined her smiling, the thought of it gives you joy this time. You loved her smile. You wonder if she’s laughing too, if she is holding someone else’s arm and squeezing it tighter too. All right, it’s time to get those pills, fill up that glass with water, swallow, and crawl back to bed.

It is 4:26 am.

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CHAPTER VI IMPLEMENTATION: COEXIST

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COEXIST This thesis provides suggestions from different lenses. For building public awareness, a digital platform titled Wildspotting is introduced. Wildspotting is a smartphone application where volunteers record wildlife sightings to create a biodiversity database of New York City. The platform widens scientific database for research and location hotspots. The Google Glass version of the platform has also been explored.

TRACE project provides an experience for the users to trace real-time moments at the location. The project took place at McCarren Park with more than 20 participants, resulted with a collaborative drawing of a shared moment.

Urban Birdbaths project uses existing street infrastructures adding a design element for the benefits of birds. The water source of the birds in New York City is elevated from the side of the roads to trees, street lamps and sign poles.

FINCH pen is designed with the idea to save birds from crashing into window but also engaging humans with an experience to be aware of their surroundings.

In all of the projects that have been proposed, nature-centered design has been the center of ideas instead of only adapting human-centered design.

RAISING AWARENESS 1. Digital – Wildspotting During bird watching walks I noticed that the process of recording the number and names of birds was with pencil and notepad with one of two walk leaders. As I was talking with scientist Dr. Jason Munshi-South, he and his students’ process was similar.

They would go out to the field and find the animals as one person wrote down the count and the name of species. I realized that this means the database for scientific research is limited to the number of times the field research is done and the scientists/reseraches who are there at the time. So the question of ‘How might we increase the bird sighting records and therefore the database for scientific field research?’ became the start of the platform, Wildspotting.

A related observation I made during the birdspotting walks was that the green space users would take out their phones and take pictures of the animals that they saw. As of January 2014, 58% of American adults have smartphones and 89% of smartphone users use their smart phones throughout the day.

“People don’t like thinking hard,” says Clifford Nass, a professor of communication and computer science at Stanford University. Constantly consulting your smartphone, he says, “is an attempt to not have to think hard, but feel like you’re doing something.”

After downloading Wildspotting app on

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110 their phones, the user takes a phone of the wild animal that they have encountered with and save it in their profiles. The user is able to see recent uploads from their location nearby and from their friends.

The crowdsourcing of data creates hot spots of the animals that are located in the city.

A user who is not uploading their data but have the application could still be aware of the wildlife around them. The app will send out a notification for the user if they are entering a hotspot. For example on a summer day, a user who is passing under the Highline Park might receive a notification that they have entered the Admiral Butterfly zone. This will create an analog awareness using the digital platform for convenience.

With the Quantified Self movement, we track our steps taken, stairs climbed, calories burned, distance travelled, even there are platforms for you to track your mood from an app.

http://www.go-gulf.com/blog/smartphone/ http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/ mobile-technology-fact-sheet/ The Mobile Movement Study, April 2011 http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/newswire/2011/generation-app-62-of-mobileusers-25-34-own-smartphones.html http://gigaom.com/2011/05/31/androidsmartphones-consume-more-dataheres-why/ http://www.marketingcharts.com/direct/ apple-ios-users-have-most-apps-usemost-frequently-17301/ http://bgr.com/2011/12/13/global-smartphone-penetration-approaches-10/ http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Cell-Phones/Section-2.aspx http://www.comscoredatamine. com/2011/06/us-smartphone-ownersby-age/ http://www.miteksystems.com/ blog/03/28/11/who-uses-a-smartphone

However, there is no app for on a public level to track numbers of urban wildlife with volunteer labor. Wildspotting provides the quantified urban wildlife.

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liamsburg on April 13th, 2014.

One’s awareness of the moment and mind’s relationship with the outside world conducted through senses is fascinating. We can hear, smell, touch, taste and see. Person’s registration of a memory is limited by these senses and the knowledge resides in time and space. TRACE drawing stations physicalize the present continuous time by creating traces of real-life movements of the participants surrounding. The experience is created around observing living beings in real-time, filtering through body movements and resulting as line drawings on a shared canvas.

The first adaptors were kids from ages 7 to 11. As soon as there was a crowd more people were interested and wanted to participate from different age groups. Some of the quotes from participants include; ‘I can do this all day.’ ‘This is very relaxing.’ ‘It is great that I can trace what I see because I am bad at drawing.’ And ‘I love the poetic idea of a collaborative canvas.’ The experience was held until the clear canvas was filled with collaborative drawings.

Based on research and interviews, people who interact with green spaces intentionally find it a relaxing and peaceful activity. In order to create an experience, I have tested the first prototype in Highline Park. I brought a clear acrylic sheet with the dimensions of 24x24 inches. Closing one eye, I started to trace the park users, the trees and birds I see through the acrylic. An early adaptor, who was interested in the idea, approached and wanted to test the prototype. After 20 minutes, the first shared canvas with traces of a shared moment had been done.

For the second version, a foldable frame has been built from plywood for canvas to stand-alone. The frame included instructions for the user and colored pens were provided. As a final iteration TRACE drawing station has been placed in McCarren Park, Wil-

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3. Synanthrope Sconces Synanthropes are the animals that l i v e n e ar b y hum an s . S e ek in g o u t opportunities to make simple changes to urban infrastructures, this thesis has designed artifacts in order to share across species. Synanthrope Sconces is a product design, which is used by different species; humans, birds of New York or the visitors during migration season, and butterflies.

Humans are incapable of seeing in dark, and need light during night. This is why every building has a lighting fixture to emphasize the entrances.

Birds on the other hand, with urbanization and habitat loss are in need of water and places to rest, especially during wintertime. By changing the design of existing sconces, Synanthrope Sconces create an opportunity to become a birdbath.

The birdbath will attract more birds, which will bring pleasure and joy to the neighborhood.

Twisting the idea of flowerpots for windowsills, Synanthrope Sconces become a planter, which can attract butterflies and bring nature for children to experience. Butterflies are attracted to colorful flowers and nectars, which can be easily managed in a New York City setting.

4. Urban Birdbath

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142 All living beings need water in order to survive. In a populous urban environment such as New York City, one of the main water sources become the resting water on sidewalks where sunken pavements become a vessel. This water is in direct contact with oil spilled from vehicles and water from trash. Many birds bathe on a regular basis order to keep their feathers in good condition.

This water is a risk for birds’ health, which might also affect our health with an interaction. Also, when a bird that tries to bathe and drink water on a ground level next to moving vehicles, this creates a death hazard.

are more than 250,000 streetlights in New York City. Imagine these light poles were designed to be welcoming for different species and not only for humans. It would help the conservation of biodiversity and create a more habitable environment for non-humans. http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/infrastructure/streetlights.shtml http://www.stanford.edu/group/stanfordbirds/text/essays/Bathing_and_ Dusting.html

Urban birdbaths use existing street infrastructures such as street lamps and traffic light poles. It is designed in order to elevate bird’s water source and bathing spot. The water for Urban Birdbath will be provided by rain and people who volunteer to fill them up.

The first prototype of Urban Birdbath was made by a Chipotle burrito bowl.

I cut the recycled material to fit the light pole’s diameter and taped on a streetlight. The prototype was a conversation starter where some people changed their paths in order to ask me questions. The feedback was positive and even one called the idea ‘Genius!’

For a second iteration, I have a 3D printed a model to be more sturdy, strong and flexible in dimension to fit different diameters of poles and trees.

These small design interventions are the steps for bigger systems. There

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5. FINCH Pen Following habitat destruction, glass

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164 is the biggest threat for birds. Nearly 988 Million birds die annually in the U.S. by crashing into windows. Some prevention techniques include creating patterns on windows using tape, decals or covering the window with nettings.

However, since these techniques may affect the transparency of the glass, many users do not prefer to adapt.

Many birds are tetrachromats, meaning they are able to see the color spectrum in ultra violent length, which humans are not capable of. Understanding this fact, a glass company from Germany, Arnold Glas have invented Ornilux.

Ornilux is a bird-protection glass that has a patterned, UV reflecting coating making it visible to the birds while remaining virtually transparent to human eye.

Based on this research, ‘Coexist’ explored a way to bring human interaction and body movements into this process of saving the birds from colliding with glass. Glass is a clear border between indoors and outdoors. And when we are inside, it acts as a visual passage for the outside.

This work has been based on research and testing of various ornithologists, scientists and engineers’ previous work. Though during the test of FINCH Pen no birds were recorded as having crashed into windows with FINCH markings. http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/ policy/collisions/pdf/collisions_flyer.pdf http://www.collidescape.org/ http://www.washingtonpost .com/national/health-science/ stop-blaming-cats-as-many-as988-million-birds-die-annually-inwindow-collisions/2014/02/03/9837fe808866-11e3-916e-e01534b1e132_story.html https://www.sciencenews.org/article/ windows-may-kill-988-million-birdsyear-united-states

FINCH pen is designed to prevent birds from colliding with glass while allowing the user to visualize his surroundings by body movements. FINCH includes invisible ink that has an UV characteristic. Birds can certainly see the traces done by FINCH under daylight while the ink is invisible for humans. The user is only able to see the ink under blacklight.

CHAPTER VI

IMPLEMENTATION

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FINCH

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FINCH, IDEATION

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FINCH, UNDER VISIBLE LIGHT & UNDER BLACKLIGHT

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MAKING OF FINCH

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FINCH

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FINCH

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FINCH UNDER VISIBLE LIGHT

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FINCH UNDER ULTRA VIOLET LIGHT

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FINCH

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180

WHEN BIRDS COLLIDE WITH GLASS

Illustrations by Ena Jurov For THAT Magazine, Spring’14 Issue

181 You’re in a room, next to the window, enjoying the park view outside glancing up, once in a while, from your work to enjoy the view of the park below. Then ‘BAM!’ and from the corner of your eye, you see a flash from a silhouette outside the window disappear.

Each year nearly 90,000 birds die from flying into windows in New York alone. Transparent glass is invisible to both humans and birds; however, humans learn to see glass through experiences such as bumping into a glass door, or following visual cues, understanding the frame around it, or just by expecting it to be there. Wild birds simply don’t see the glass partitions and therefore end up crashing into them.

And most of the time these collisions happen when the bird is flying at full speed, which is fatal. The modern city skyline is quite literally a death trap.

Under certain lighting, glass may become a perfect mirror reflecting the sky, clouds, or nearby habitat and so actually attracts birds. Then the bigger the glass pane, the more collisions there are. What if we could have a big warning sign on each building with glass façades?

There are several suggested architectural solutions for the problem. These include adding elements to façades such as netting, screens, grills or shutters. Exterior sunshades will decrease the visible glass and thus the threat for birds. Another op-

182 tion is using patterned, opaque, etched or stained glass. However, these solutions might get in the way, obscure your view. So is there a way to keep the transparency of the glass but also warn the birds?

Interestingly enough, some birds have the superpower to be able to see light with shorter wavelengths such as UV rays, which are invisible to the human eye. Working on the problem for several years, Christian Irmscher has designed Ornilux Mikado: Bird-Protection Glass inspired by the construction of webs by orb-web spiders. Orb-web spiders simply don’t want birds to destroy their beautiful webs, so they create webs with one strand that reflects UV light to encourage birds to fly around their webs without any accidental destruction.

This has led to the development by Arnold Glass Group of a type glass that has a patterned, UV reflecting coating making it visible to the birds while remaining virtually transparent to human eye.

Ornithologist Wolfgang Fiedler tested

the product with various types of birds with a 66% rate of success. We hope this success will increase. However it is it is clear that this issue should be a key concern for architects in the design process. Architecture at its best is a practice, which aims to improve our lives and the environment we inhabit. Birds have always been and will continue to be an inspiration for many and are symbols of our highest humanistic ideals. They help us dream about the lands we might never see, remind us of the possibility of peace and freedom. As well as feeding our spirits, they also help keep our environment in balance by pollinating plants, dispensing seeds, consuming vast amounts of insects and thus helping to limit the transmission of diseases. It is nothing but a necessity to welcome them to our cities and ensure a safe passage on their journey to Neverland.

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CHAPTER VII LOOKING FORWARD

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COEXIST This t not have to think hard, but feel like you’re doing something.”

After downloading Wildspotting app

CHAPTER VII

LOOKING FORWARD

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MAPPING OF BIRDS COLLIDING WITH GLASS

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MAPPING OF HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN

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HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN

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*Around 90.000 birds die by colliding with glass facades each year in NYC.

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NATURE-CENTERED DESIGN

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Bird collisions with glass and buildings [Internet]. c2013. American Bird Conservatory: [cited April 2013]. Available from: http://www.abcbirds.org/ abcprograms/policy/collisions/glass.html Bengtsson, J., Ahnstrom, J. and Weibull A-C. (2005) ‘The effects of organic agriculture on biodiversity and abundance: a meta-analysis’ Journal of Applied Ecology, 42(2), 461-269 Berger, John. About Looking. New York: Pantheon Books, 1980. Print.

Cronon, William. Uncommon ground: rethinking the human place in nature. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1996. Print.

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M. Doebeli & U. Dieckmann: Nature Vol. 421 (2003) p. 259 Franzen, Jonathan. 2013. Last song for migrating birds. National Geographic Magazine [Internet]. July http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/07/songbirdmigration/ Goffman, Erving. The presentation of self in everyday life. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1971. Print.

Honigsbaum, Mark . “Meet the new generation of robots. They’re almost human....”

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194 software. New York: Scribner, 2001. Print.

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Kaku, Michio, and Michio Kaku. Physics of the future: how science will shape human destiny and our daily lives by the year 2100. New York: Doubleday, 2011.

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Kellert, Stephen R., and Edward O. Wilson. The Biophilia hypothesis. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 1993. Print.

Kieran J. 1982. A natural history of New York City: a personal report after fifty years of study & enjoyment of wildlife within the boundaries of Greater New York.

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LEED bird collision deterrence pilot credit [Internet]. c2013. Washington (DC): US Green Building Council: [cited April 2013]. Available from: http://www.usgbc.org/ node/1732698?return=/pilotcredits Mensvoort, Koert van, and Hendrik Jan Grievink. Next nature: Nature Changes Along With Us. Barselona: Actar, 2011. Print.

“Ooz.” Ooz. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2013. <http://www.nyu.edu/projects/xdesign/ ooz/>.

Schuder, R. Russell Unger talks birds & architecture with Bruce Fowle. 2010.

Urban Green Council Dec 15 [cited April 2013]. http://blog.urbangreencouncil. org/2010/12/russell-unger-talks-birds-architecture-with-bruce-fowle/ “Summer 2011.” Harnessing the Power of Our GeoDesign Vision. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2013. <http://www.esri.com/news/arcnews/summer11articles/harnessingthe-power-of-our-geodesign-vision.html>.

A. Sweeney, Ch. Jiggins & S. Johnsen: Nature Vol. 423 (2003) p. 31 “The Dirt on Nematodes: A Gardener’s Unlikely Ally.” The High Line. N.p., n.d.

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ORNILUX bird protection glass. c2011-2013. Goleta (CA); Arnold Glas: [cited April

195 2013]. http://www.ornilux.com Willson J, Dorcas M. 2003. Effects of habitat disturbance on stream salamanders: implications for buffer zones and watershed management. Conservation Biology 17:763-771

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

197 I am deeply grateful to all the people who generously shared their time, resources, and stories during the process of ‘Coexist’. Thank you.

ALLAN CHOCHINOV AYŞE BİRSEL NATALIE JEREMIJENKO SIMON JOHNSON PAOLA ANTONELLI BRENT ARNOLD EMILIE BALTZ DEVENDRA BANHART DAVEY BARON TAK CHEUNG ABBY COVERT BENJAMIN CRITTON STEVE DEAN DR. ROBERT DECANDIDO NED DODINGTON BUSRA ERKARA SEDA EVIS KYLA FULLENWIDER JANNA GILBERT DANIEL GODDEMEYER CLAIRE HARTTEN HEROLD HERZOG GINA JACK, NY PROJECT WILD GABRIELLE KELLNER ANA KRAS KERRY LAUERMAN MARKO MANRIQUEZ MIGUEL KEVIN MCPHEE SIGI MOESLINGER ELLIOTT MONTGOMERY PROJECT PROJECTS KATIE ROTH ANDREW SCHLOSS

BIBI SECK SINCLAIR SCOTT SMITH RANGER STEPHANIE DR. JASON MUNSHI-SOUTH RANGER SUNNY ANDREW SNYDER JOHN THACKARA RICHARD TYSON ADDIE WAGENKNECHT ROB WALKER HELEN WALTERS CHRIS WOEBKEN MASAMICHI UDAGAWA JOHN ZAPOLSKI POD CLASS OF 2014 POD CLASS OF 2015

& MY DAD, MOM & SISTER

198

ABOUT THE DESIGNER RONA IPEK BİNAY www.ronabinay.com ronabinay@gmail.com

2014

SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS