Urban Biotopes (Biotope City) is an ongoing interdisciplinary project researching urban spaces as shared living environments.
While the term “biotope” in the more narrow sense usually refers to an area characterized by environmental conditions (geology, climate, land use / development), the project aims to widen this perspective by looking at a broader scope of factors relevant for the co-existence of different species within an area – including a. o. non-human and human influences and relationships, social, economical and political conditions, communication infrastructures etc. Moreover, our interest is strongly drawn not only to processes of urban development under the provisions of gentrification, but to remaining and / or reclaimed spaces, waste lands and other “heterotopias”.
Using, testing and developing a whole range of methods and techniques (scientific, artistic, on-site, media based, performative etc), rather than being limited to the mapping, description and documentation of urban biotopes, or aspects of these, the project is conceived as a laboratory, asking for urban biotopes as possible sites for community based research, learning /education / skill sharing / knowledge transfer, cultural memory and sustainable development.
The Urban Biotopes project is based in Frankfurt am Main (DE). In addition to the theoretical studies and research, praxis-oriented research, workshops and seminars so far took place in Frankfurt am Main (since 2007, ongoing), Kiel (2009, 2010) and Berlin (2009, 2010).
For more info and contact details see the Urban Biotopes project pages at www.under-construction.cc
In the framework of the TIK Connected Open Greens we're planning to build a COG research installment at Frankfurt.
Among our favorite ideas is to combine a local situation with a mobile garden/green installment.
However, we're also interested in the development of mobile micro research units that might allow data harvesting at different places (or more precisely: a set of different local situations) we've been surveying so far in the framework of the Urban Biotopes project.
After a period of deep research in theory and practice over the year 2010, and a survey of possible sites for the installment(s), preparations for the real installments in 2011 started.
As of spring 2011, we're now preparing for the season.
For more details and updates related to the Urban Biotopes and the Biotop Stadt Frankfurt project, pls. see the project pages at www.under-constrcution.cc and at www.visuelle-kultur.info.
Moreover, you will find more extensive documentation of the Biotop Stadt Frankfurt proceedings, including text documents, visual documents, ressources and - this is our plan - how-tos soon on our new platform for interdisciplinary projects: ArtScienceEduction (ArtSciEd).
For the proceedings of our local COG node pls. go to: Connected Open Greens Frankfurt on TIK Wiki.