Nonhuman Animals in Urban Spaces

Abstract

This paper discusses the interaction of nonhuman animals with human animals within urban spaces and the conflicts that arise from these interactions. It argues that these conflicts often emerge due to urban spaces being designed and controlled by humans, with little or no consideration of animals’ needs and agency. It suggests that an anthropocentric perspective dominates urban political theory, which often leads to the exclusion, control, or even eradication of nonhuman animals when they are perceived to be disrupting the human-established order.

The paper advocates for the recognition of nonhuman animals as legitimate urban co-habitants, with the right to influence the construction and the internal organization of urban spaces. This could involve integrating nonhuman animals into the political process, acknowledging their agency, and enabling them to communicate their needs and interests in the infrastructure of the city. This could lead to more harmonious human-animal interactions in urban spaces, transforming the city into a ‘multi-species’ or ‘interspecies’ space.

This paper challenges traditional notions of urban development and governance and calls for a re-evaluation of human-animal relations in the urban context.