Mossy Cities
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Contributors: William Ward, Stanislav Roudavski.
Independent Thesis by William Ward and supervised by Stanislav Roudavski, and ongoing research informed by this thesis.
Tags: #independent-thesis (Private) #ongoing (Private)
This project aims to develop typologies that can support bryophytes (mosses, lichens, and fungi) in urban and peri-urban ecosystems. These typologies span multiple scales: mini (surface forms), midi (building elements), and macro (interconnected elements at the suburb scale). Thesis outcomes included a persona describing bryophyte needs, a review of human-bryophyte interaction, an environmental history of bryophytes in Melbourne, a model for site selection, design proposals at three scales, speculative visualisations, and prototypes. This work supported grant proposals, teaching resources, and journal articles in development.
Bryophytes perform important ecosystem functions benefiting human and nonhumans. They increase biodiversity by sustaining invertebrates such as aphids, nematodes, rotifers, and tardigrades.1 These micro-organisms in turn provide food for rodents, birds and other predators. In urban settings, research suggests bryophytes can monitor pollution,2 manage stormwater run-off,3 mitigate the urban heat island effect,4 and improve wellbeing.5 Widespread implementation in cities could amplify these impacts, but factors including profit-driven development models, negative perceptions of "mess," and limited relations between institutions and commercial practices complicate this aspiration.
Overcoming these barriers requires convincing speculative proposals informed by data. Contemporary research prioritises building components featuring mosses with limited consideration of feasibility or scaleability. Wider adoption requires strategies across multiple scales. Site conditions and context require adaptable, modular, and replicable design elements. Typologies such as parks, urban furniture, paving, laneways, temporary artworks, carparks, drainage systems, abandoned buildings, brownfield sites can host bryophytes. Strategies that connect isolated interventions increase habitat connectivity, which is critical for resilient and biodiverse urban ecosystems.
The likelihood of adoption depends on arguments for benefits and against typical objections. Data, experimentation, lifecycle analysis, interdisciplinary research, and speculative visions speak to multiple stakeholders, e.g., governments, planners, developers, institutions, designers, residents, media, and scientists.
Each scale presents unique challenges. The original thesis addresses each scale, outlining areas requiring further research.
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Footnotes
Alain Vanderpoorten and Tomas Hallingbäck, "Conservation Biology of Bryophytes," in Bryophyte Biology, ed. Bernard Goffinet and A. Jonathan Shaw (Cambridge, GB: Cambridge University Press, 2009), 515.˄
Alison Haynes et al., "Roadside Moss Turfs in South East Australia Capture More Particulate Matter Along an Urban Gradient than a Common Native Tree Species," Atmosphere 10, no. 4 (April 24, 2019): 224, https://doi.org/10/gf2bzh.˄
Malcolm Anderson, John Lambrinos, and Erin Schroll, "The Potential Value of Mosses for Stormwater Management in Urban Environments," Urban Ecosystems 13, no. 3 (2010): 319–32, https://doi.org/10/bz85z4.˄
Muhammad Amir Aisar Khalid et al., "Thermal Relaxation by Sunagoke Moss Green Roof in Mitigating Urban Heat Island," International Journal of Civil & Environmental Engineering 17, no. 6 (2017): 1–14.˄
Matilda van den Bosch and Asa Ode Sang, “Urban Natural Environments as Nature-Based Solutions for Improved Public Health – a Systematic Review of Reviews,” Environmental Research 158 (2017): 373–84, https://doi.org/10/gfpqp5.˄
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