Olivia Aslett The MultiSpecies City

The MultiSpecies City concept responds to the speculative research that over time, large-scale construction projects such as HS2 and Heathrow’s new runway will have catastrophic consequences for mycelium networks in the UK. These networks are shown by today’s research to be vital to soil and plant health, connecting different species and distributing nutrients throughout the soil. This research also revealed the data that can be harnessed from superspecies such as mycelium; soil toxicity, flood risk, lacking nutrients, toxic growths, imbalances and instability and much more.

My concept makes use of this research, and projections of future investment into how superspecies can be used to react and ‘read’ the health of our environments. The multispecies city is an attempt by the UK government to reconnect our living network to the living networks below ground. Using soil probes to determine the health of soil and mycelium networks in specific areas or ‘bionomes’ (an urban area monitoring human and plant networks health and responding specifically to local needs), local authorities can help cities flourish with life. This data allows bionome authorities to address imbalances by responding to the needs of the environment using nutrients. Local and city-wide data representing the overall health of the soil, air and water in the city can be seen at bus stops and subway stations, reminding residents of the variety of life forms and the delicate balance required to ensure life can flourish.