The Wild City: collaborative practices in urban renaturing
Over the past decade, Europe has witnessed a growing number of calls from legislators, politicians, environmentalists and citizens’ groups to create more naturalized and walkable cities. This movement has spurred the formulation of urban climate regulations, policies and actions that seek to integrate urban regeneration with nature as a response to the environmental, economic and socio-cultural challenges of adapting to climate change.
The Wild City: Collaborative Practices in Urban Renewal explores these issues through multi-stakeholder co-creation processes, highlighting the transformative potential of collaborative approaches. The book presents a series of recent case studies that show how urban wildness can strengthen social cohesion and foster community commitment to environmental stewardship. These projects engage actors from diverse fields, including art, science, urban design, and citizenship, with the goal of improving the built environment and maximizing long-term sustainability.
The compilation offers insight into the benefits and methodologies of collective intelligence and co-creation in urban ecological transitions, examining interventions ranging from metropolitan-scale initiatives, such as the Madrid Metropolitan Forest, to neighborhood-scale projects, such as the San Cristobal de los Angeles Primary Schools (LIFE PACT), and building-scale interventions, such as the Cyborg Garden at Matadero Madrid. Through this analysis, the book aims to show how co-creation can serve as a catalyst for multidisciplinary knowledge exchange, increased project impact, and the implementation of effective climate change adaptation actions.
The Wild City invites readers to imagine a future where co-creation and urban naturation are intertwined, providing a guide for developing resilient urban landscapes in harmony with nature.
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Over the past decade, Europe has witnessed a growing number of calls from legislators, politicians, environmentalists and citizens’ groups to create more naturalized and walkable cities. This movement has spurred the formulation of urban climate regulations, policies and actions that seek to integrate urban regeneration with nature as a response to the environmental, economic and socio-cultural challenges of adapting to climate change.
The Wild City: Collaborative Practices in Urban Renewal explores these issues through multi-stakeholder co-creation processes, highlighting the transformative potential of collaborative approaches. The book presents a series of recent case studies that show how urban wildness can strengthen social cohesion and foster community commitment to environmental stewardship. These projects engage actors from diverse fields, including art, science, urban design, and citizenship, with the goal of improving the built environment and maximizing long-term sustainability.
The compilation offers insight into the benefits and methodologies of collective intelligence and co-creation in urban ecological transitions, examining interventions ranging from metropolitan-scale initiatives, such as the Madrid Metropolitan Forest, to neighborhood-scale projects, such as the San Cristobal de los Angeles Primary Schools (LIFE PACT), and building-scale interventions, such as the Cyborg Garden at Matadero Madrid. Through this analysis, the book aims to show how co-creation can serve as a catalyst for multidisciplinary knowledge exchange, increased project impact, and the implementation of effective climate change adaptation actions.
The Wild City invites readers to imagine a future where co-creation and urban naturation are intertwined, providing a guide for developing resilient urban landscapes in harmony with nature.
Authors
Manuel Alméstar
PhD student at the School of Architecture, UPM (2021-2025), also coordinates European projects at the Centre of Innovation and Technology for Development. He holds a Peruvian architecture degree (2010), a Project Management diploma from ESAN University (2013), and a Master’s in Strategies and Technologies for Development from UCM and UPM (2018). Alméstar authored “Schools as levers of change in urban transformation,” and co-authored various articles on sustainable development. He led European projects focusing on climate change through systemic change, urban experimentation, and art.
Nieves Mestre
PhD MSc Architect and Tenured Professor at the UPM School of Architecture. She works as an expert for the EU Research Executive Agency, and has coordinated several EU funded projects around ecological design such as EU Intelligent Energy Educate, Climate Kic ACT on NBS or LIFE People-Driven Adaptive Cities. She sustains her architectural practice at ComboLAB with Eduardo Roig, whose work has been awarded in Europan 8 or EU Mies Award. Exhibited at the XVI Venice Bienale, her research focuses on the ecological revision of architectural design agendas.
Sara Romero
PhD candidate and Teaching Assistant at the School of Forestry Engineering and Natural Resources, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), focusing on organisational management and urban sustainable transitions. Sara holds degrees in Social and Cultural Anthropology (UNED, 2020), Economic Sciences (UCM, 2008), Communication and Public Relations (UCM, 2004), and a Master’s Degree in Technology for Sustainable Development (UPM, 2012). She worked for various digital marketing companies for six years followed by eight years at UPM in the Innovation and Technology for Development Centre.
Authors
Manuel Alméstar
PhD student at the School of Architecture, UPM (2021-2025), also coordinates European projects at the Centre of Innovation and Technology for Development. He holds a Peruvian architecture degree (2010), a Project Management diploma from ESAN University (2013), and a Master’s in Strategies and Technologies for Development from UCM and UPM (2018). Alméstar authored “Schools as levers of change in urban transformation,” and co-authored various articles on sustainable development. He led European projects focusing on climate change through systemic change, urban experimentation, and art.
Nieves Mestre
PhD MSc Architect and Tenured Professor at the UPM School of Architecture. She works as an expert for the EU Research Executive Agency, and has coordinated several EU funded projects around ecological design such as EU Intelligent Energy Educate, Climate Kic ACT on NBS or LIFE People-Driven Adaptive Cities. She sustains her architectural practice at ComboLAB with Eduardo Roig, whose work has been awarded in Europan 8 or EU Mies Award. Exhibited at the XVI Venice Bienale, her research focuses on the ecological revision of architectural design agendas.
Sara Romero
PhD candidate and Teaching Assistant at the School of Forestry Engineering and Natural Resources, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), focusing on organisational management and urban sustainable transitions. Sara holds degrees in Social and Cultural Anthropology (UNED, 2020), Economic Sciences (UCM, 2008), Communication and Public Relations (UCM, 2004), and a Master’s Degree in Technology for Sustainable Development (UPM, 2012). She worked for various digital marketing companies for six years followed by eight years at UPM in the Innovation and Technology for Development Centre.
