Ambivalent landscapes and atmospheres of care

Urban Development and Care in the Atmospheric City

Presentation by Siri Schwabe.

Abstract

Small-and-large-scale urban development projects continue to change the face of cities like Copenhagen at a rapid rate. They also continuously shift and add variety to the atmospheric makeup of urban spaces. In having left nothing untouched over time, they produce not only shiny new buildings and public spaces but also result in temporarily disordered spaces as previous developments are left behind and begin to disintegrate as they await the return of construction workers and heavy machinery. The contemporary atmospheric city - both human-made, human-unmade, and human-remade - prompts us to consider the role of care in urban development. What makes the city (feel) caring? How do people experience and practice care in the context of the city as a felt environment, and how might this add to our understanding of the lived consequences of urban development projects?

Exploring the Restorative Capacity in Urban Ambivalent Landscapes, a case study from Nordhavnstippen, Copenhagen.

Presentation by Natalia Rodriguez Castañeda

Abstract

Nordhavnstippen, a former post-industrial site in northern Copenhagen, has undergone a remarkable transformation. Decades of abandonment and minimal human intervention have allowed it to flourish into a semi-natural, biodiverse green space – an urban wild park within the rapidly developing Nordhavn district. This unique, ruderal, wild, and ambivalent landscape presents both exciting opportunities and complex challenges as it integrates novel forms of urban nature into a district undergoing rapid urbanisation.

As Nordhavn evolves into Scandinavia’s largest and most ambitious urban development project, Nordhavnstippen's presence raises critical questions: How can such "ambivalent landscapes" be incorporated into sustainable urban development? How do they contribute to the vision of green and healthy cities, offering opportunities for people, biodiversity, and the urban environment?

This seminar will share the methods, findings, and reflections from qualitative work with citizens and stakeholders in Copenhagen. We will emphasise the importance of integrating urban nature through an interdisciplinary, participatory, and holistic approach – one that connects people, biodiversity, and the urban environment. Furthermore, we will explore the crucial role these unplanned, spontaneous natural areas play in both mental health restoration and biodiversity conservation through theoretical frameworks such as therapeutic landscape and One Health.

Bios

Siri Schwabe has worked extensively on the everyday politics of atmosphere and memory with a particular focus on urban environments. She is the author of The Atmospheric City (with Mikkel Bille, Routledge, 2023) and Moving Memory (Cornell University Press, 2023. She currently teaches at the Saxo Institute, University of Copenhagen.

Natalia Rodriguez Castañeda is an environmental and health anthropologist with complementary studies in biology, geography and global health. She earned her master’s degree in anthropology from the University of Copenhagen and is currently a PhD candidate at the School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, where she works with the NovelEco research group on societal attitudes towards Urban Wild Spaces. Her work has led her to explore the relationship between health and nature in diverse city contexts, including Bogotá, Colombia; New York, USA; San José, Costa Rica; and Copenhagen, Denmark. Using qualitative and participatory methods, she investigates how cities integrate nature into urban planning and how health considerations intersect with these efforts.