Following the presentation of “Computer-aided Ecological Connectivity, for Urban Design within Climate Change Adaptation” at ACADIA2022 Conference, the Master in City & Technology (MaCT) is back with a field note paper discussing the application of this methodology in the context of Madrid. “Fostering Symbiosis for Ecosystem Revival” was presented at ACADIA 2023 “Habits of the Anthropocene” Conference held at the University of Colorado Denver by MaCT student Vasiliki Bakomichali. The project discussed in these field notes is “The Green Ally” that was developed in the Master in City & Technology’s Internet of Cities Studio, led by Mathilde Marengo, Eduardo Rico, Iacopo Neri and Adriana Aguirre Such, and students Vasiliki Bakomichali, Julia Thomas and Hiranya Ganatra.

The Green Ally is a digital tool that challenges us to rethink Madrid’s territorial scale from a more than human perspective and provides a data informed approach that helps to integrate ecological needs within the design process and develop more precise design strategies to mitigate the impact of human activity on natural landscapes. The study explores the potentials of linking Google Earth Engine (GEE) with RHINO 3D GRASSHOPPER 3D and introduces a computational design methodology for importing, spatializing, and processing remote sensing geospatial datasets/raster layers, for identifying the urban specificities in Madrid, with a particular emphasis on areas susceptible to the Urban Heat Island effect. Establishing a synergy between red squirrels and humans, our study is dedicated to fostering ecosystem regeneration and defragmentation. By strategically employing Circuitscape connectivity analysis software, pathways for multispecies rehabilitation of degraded landscapes are detected.

Explore more about our project, ‘The Green Ally’.

Read the full paper of “Computer-aided Ecological Connectivity, for Urban Design within Climate Change Adaptation” in the direct link to the 2022 Projects Catalog and 2022 Proceedings HERE.

Catch the full field notes “Fostering Symbiosis for Ecosystem Revival” in Volume 3- Proceedings 2 that will include the Field Notes, Workshops, Keynotes, and Awards Talks will come out in February HERE.