Interspecies coexistence and environmental sensitivity in urban design: a qualitative study in Onex, Switzerland

A qualitative analysis was conducted of data collected from the project L'étendue sauvage. remarquer le monde qui nous échappe, conducted in Onex, Switzerland, in the summer of 2022. The residents' environmental sensitivity and ability to adapt to new eco-social realities were explored through 47 semi-structured interviews and interactive maps. The main objective was to understand how urban dwellers perceive and emotionally engage with more-than-human presence in their environment, assessing the potential to reconfigure urban design through multispecies relationships. The analysis was structured around two major themes. The first, The Perception of Wildlife, revealed a greater openness to integrating non-human agents into urban design, surpassing initial expectations. The second, The Emotion of Events, focused on recent environmental changes, such as rising temperatures and reduced snowfall, highlighting residents' concerns about adaptation. A key finding was the widespread recognition of historically stigmatised species, such as rats and bats, as “Legitimate Independent Inhabitants of the City (LIIC)”, challenging dominant anthropocentric narratives. Additionally, residents displayed a heightened emotional connection with environmental changes, such as rising temperatures and shifts in seasonal rhythms. A multispecies and cosmopolitical approach to urban design is thus advocated, promoting recognition of the agency and rights of more-than-human entities. The work integrates residents’ affective and perceptual experiences, contributing to reimagining cities as inclusive, dynamic ecosystems shaped by human and more-than-human cohabitation.