Urban Moss

a workbook investigating the potentials of micro urban interventions

forward Moss has survived longer than nearly any other plant on earth (some 350 million years) not because of its ability to beat its competitors for resources but because of its habit of sharing them. By forming reciprocal bonds with their hosts—on top of and in the cracks of rocks, logs, and stumps—mosses give back more than they take: building soil, purifying water, and ultimately creating the conditions for other species to live and thrive alongside them.

Urban Moss seeks a new form of development in a similar manner to these natural processes: bottomup infrastructure built in the interstices of cities living in reciprocity with their neighbors and inhabitants.

Modern city design has primarily been characterized by the development of massive plans implemented rapidly by a few individuals imposing their ideals from the top-down. A view of growth antithetical to natural and biological systems of maturation.

Conversely, Urban Moss looks at city design from the point of view of the individual, arguing that change is not something that is “planned” at all, but rather something that germinates over time from which those overlooked and ubiquitous spaces emerge into a vibrant public realm.

01

draw people interacting

people in the city

02

transform this street into a green street

imagine the street on a lively evening

green street scenes

imagine the street on a bustling morning

03 Pictured aside is a site temporarily out of use, awaiting future construction.

Activate the wall and small interim space as a vibrant public amenity.

party wall

04 along this street are some standard fire escapes...

fire escapes

re-imagine them to alter the character of the neighborhood

05 Choose a bus line and draw the route.

Where are people coming and going?

bus stop

Choose a bus stop and draw its surroundings.

How do people interact and move about?

05

bus stop

Design a bus stop to accommodate a diversity of people and activities.

06

public restroom

07

Revamp this alleyway with an interactive installation.

alleyway

Depict how the space could accommodate daily life as well as host larger events.

08 Reimagine your previous interventions growing across the city like moss.

skyline