Multispecies Cities

Cities are alive, shared by humans and animals, insects and plants, landforms and machines. What might city ecosystems look like in the future if we strive for multispecies justice in our urban settings? In these more-than-human stories, twenty-four authors investigate humanity’s relationship with the rest of the natural world, placing characters in situations where humans have to look beyond their own needs and interests. A quirky eco-businessman sees broader applications for a high school science fair project. A bad date in Hawai‘i takes an unexpected turn when the couple stumbles upon some confused sea turtle hatchlings. A genetically-enhanced supersoldier struggles to find new purpose in a peaceful Tokyo. A community service punishment in Singapore leads to unexpected friendships across age and species. A boy and a mammoth trek across Asia in search of kin. A Tamil child learns the language of the stars. Set primarily in the Asia-Pacific, these stories engage with the serious issues of justice, inclusion, and sustainability that affect the region, while offering optimistic visions of tomorrow's urban spaces.

Table of Contents:

"Listen: A Memoir" by Priya Sarukkai Chabria

"By the Light of the Stars" by N. R. M. Roshak

"Old Man's Sea" by Meyari McFarland

"Deer, Tiger, and Witch" by Kate V. Bui

"Vladivostok" by Avital Balwit

"The Exuberant Vitality of Hatchling Habitats" by D.A. Xiaolin Spires

"Untamed" by Timothy Yam

"It is the year 2115" by Joyce Chng

"A Rabbit Egg for Flora" by Caroline M. Yoachim

"Iron Fox in the Marble City" by Vlad-Andrei Cucu

"Mariposa Awakening" by Joseph F. Nacino

"A Life With Cibi" by Natsumi Tanaka

"Children of Asphalt" by Phoebe Wagner

"Down the River" by Eliza Victoria

"Becoming Martians" by Taiyo Fujii

"Abso" by Sarah E. Stevens

"In Two Minds" by Joel R Hunt

"Arfabad" by Rimi B. Chatterjee

"The Mammoth Steps" by Andrew Dana Hudson

"Wandjina" by Amin Chehelnabi

"The Streams Are Paved With Fish Traps" by Octavia Cade

"Crew" by E.-H. Nießler

"The Songs That Humanity Lost Reluctantly to Dolphins" by Shweta Taneja

"The Birdsong Fossil" by D.K. Mok