From Empathy to Action: Exploring Co-Design as a Catalyst for Human–Nonhuman Connection in Urban Nature Conservation

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master_Huang_Xuan_2025.pdf (17 MB)

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School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Master's thesis
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Date

2025-07-31

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Major/Subject

Creative Sustainability

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Degree programme

Master's Programme in Creative Sustainability

Language

en

Pages

46

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Abstract

To address ecological crises and enhance public participation in urban nature conservation, this thesis explores how co-design can foster connections between humans and nonhumans, with a focus on empathy as a method for shifting public perspectives from anthropocentric to post-anthropocentric viewpoints. It offers a post-anthropocentric approach to guide human-centered design toward more inclusive and ecologically friendly practices. The study draws on Roman Krznaric’s framework for generating empathy: education, conversation, and experience. It emphasizes the first two as key mechanisms in the empathy-building process. Three case studies are analyzed: The First Multispecies Symposium, the Zoöp model, and the port reconstruction of the Whanganui River in New Zealand. The findings indicate how these cases build empathy and promote mindset shifts through education and conversation. The mindset shift among participants lays the foundation for multispecies cooperation. Building on this foundation, co-design is positioned not only as a participatory tool but also as a transformative process. It serves as a catalyst for systemic change and advocates for urban environments that support the well-being of both human and nonhuman life. The thesis concludes by proposing collaborative actions rooted in a post-anthropocentric mindset. It also proposes design intervention principles to guide the construction of these actions. These contributions offer methodological guidance for future practice-based research.

Description

Supervisor

Gaziulusoy, İdil

Thesis advisor

Lauterbach, Gloria

Keywords

co-design, empathy, posthumanism, urban nature conservation, human–nonhuman relationships, participatory design

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https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202508256775

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[master] Taiteiden ja suunnittelun korkeakoulu / ARTS