This paper introduces the Feral Map, an open online map that brings together different creative practices questioning the dominant extractive, technocentric rendering and legitimising of particular algorithmic futures. Building on its initial development drawn upon open urban tree data, it invites people to explore and engage with their surroundings in creative, unfamiliar ways and share their experiences in the form of stories, using different kinds of media, sensory impressions, and personal expressions. These stories can be offered to existing places and local “creatures” (such as animals, ambiences, and glitches) or become new creatures on their own, emphasising mattering and entanglements: that change is the only constant in life. Through this, the map obscures the currently available–mostly quantitative–data about a place, and can help to raise questions about power, values, and structural inequalities that shape the place and its future. The Feral Map has been evolving to include such stories and creatures–or messy data–from different creative, practice-based research projects. Our paper presents the theoretical framing of the Feral Map and its design, how it has been transforming along with the involved projects, as well as our learnings from the process and possible future directions.
Stormwater runoff has severe negative and direct impact on the quality of surface waters and groundwater. The impact can cause chemical and heavy-metal pollution. Applying well established methods to map pollutants in urban areas and specifically in Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), such as Sustainable UrbanDrainage Systems (SuDS) is a step towards improving the water quality in the urban water cycle. Traditional mapping of pollutants by the means of soil samples is costly, which is the main reason why the environmental-technical functioning of rainwater facilities has not been investigated on a large scale andsystematically. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is a known analysing method for finding metals and other components, for laboratory analysis and portable instruments. In this work we propose a new approach of mapping method for pollutants in-situ, such as heavy metals in soil in SuDS, with case studies from theNetherlands where swales were implemented 20 years ago. In situ XRF measurements is a quick and costefficient analysis for heavy meatal mapping in the respect to contaminated soil. In situ XRF measures of various elements, including heavy metals is carried out in a quickscan and accurate manner and measures both qualitatively and quantitatively. It makes the time-consuming and costly interim analyses by laboratories superfluous. In this study, we suggest a new methodology approach for in situ mapping of pollutants in various swales that were implemented from 20 to 5 years ago. The results differ due to multiple factors (age, use of materials, storage volume, maintenance, run off quality, etc.). Several locations reached unacceptable levels, above the national thresholds for pollutants. The spatial distribution of pollutants in the over 30 swales mapped in the Netherlands show that the preferred water flow in theSuDS controls the spreading of pollutants. The swales investigated are presented in an interactive way with the open source tool www.climatescan.nl, containing more than 100 swales, part of which has been investigated with in situ XRF measurements. The research results are of great importance for all stakeholders in (inter)national cities that are involved in climate adaptation. SuDS is the most widely used method for storing stormwater and infiltrating in the Netherlands. However, there is still too little knowledge about the long-term functioning of the soil of these facilities.
With the rise of chronic diseases as the number one cause of death and disability among urban populations, it has become increasingly important to design for healthy environments. There is, however, a lack of interdisciplinary approaches and solutions to improve health and well-being through urban planning and design. This case study offers an HCI solution and approach to design for healthy urban structures and dynamics in existing neighborhoods. We discuss the design process and design of ROOT, an interactive lighting system that aims to stimulate walking and running through supportive, collaborative and social interaction.
