The Green Square Atlas of Civic Ecologies (2021)
Funder: City of Sydney and the Climate Justice Research Centre UTS | Partner: 107 Projects Green Square
Download the PDF: Single page, Spread page, Map
The Green Square Atlas of Civic Ecologies maps the civic environmental practices happening within Sydney’s Green Square precinct.
The Story
Download The Green Square Atlas of Civic Ecologies PDF:
- Single page: GreenSquareAtlas_pages.pdf
- Spread page: GreenSquareAtlasspreads.pdf
- Map
Climate change is a global challenge, but even small-scale solutions can deliver meaningful changes to the neighbourhoods we live in. Those are the findings from the Green Square Atlas of Civic Ecologies, a participatory design research project from the Mapping Edges Research Studio at the University of Technology Sydney.
The atlas captures and maps the stories of 11 civic ecologies champions who live and work in Sydney’s Green Square Precinct, Australia’s biggest urban renewal project. These champions – verge and community gardeners, honey producers and artists, among others – describe the ways in which their environmental activities are shaping their local neighbourhoods, as well as fostering stronger relationships within the community.
Their stories are supplemented by simple suggestions to help environmentally minded Sydney residents to kickstart their own civic ecological practices, from seed saving and foraging to creating habitats for urban wildlife, no matter where they live. The atlas also includes suggestions and directions for inhabitants of Green Square to get to know the stunning and often surprising ecologies that are hidden in and around the precinct’s streets.
As well as providing a snapshot of environmental stewardship at the local level, the Green Square Atlas of Civic Ecologies is a tool to help readers reconnect with the world using all their senses in order to re-orient, navigate and take action as political bodies in an ecological crisis.
The project is delivered in partnership with the Joynton Avenue Community Centre, with funding from the City of Sydney. It is written by Alexandra Crosby, Ilaria Vanni and D’harawal Knowledge Keeper Shannon Foster with graphic design and illustration by Ella Cutler. Read about the atlas in The Conversation.
Community participation is key to this project. Get in touch to join us for community walks and workshops and share your knowledge of local environmental practices. Printed atlases are available at The Green Square Public Library.
Maquel
Climate scientist Maquel Brandimarti has lived in a cottage on Belmont Street for the past 10 years. An avid gardener, Maquel recently completed a PhD on...
David and Masou
One of the most unexpected green spaces in Rosebery is the verge along Princess Avenue. Here, native trees and grasses mix with flowers, edible herbs and...
Rosebery Honey – Fiona and Michael
Rosebery Honey is a home honey business run by Rosebery residents Fiona and Michael. It’s a small operation – the couple have beehives in their backyard and...
Green Square Growers: Garnet, Mary and Tony
Garnet, Tony and Mary are part of Green Square Growers (GSG), a community gardening group that cultivates beds at Joynton Avenue and Tote Park. According to...
Jennifer: 107 Projects
Jennifer is the Culture and Pathways Manager at 107 Green Square, which is located at Joynton Avenue Creative Centre. She describes Green Square as an...
Green Square 360 experiment
This is an experiment we did with our colleague Sydney Newtown from the School of Built Environment at UTS. Syd is interested in how people experience the...
What are Civic Ecologies?
Gardens, verges and parks are sites where individuals can become involved in forms of ‘civic ecology’. We borrow this concept from Krasny and Tidball (2012,...
The Planty Map of Green Square Civic Ecologies
Launching a walking map of Green Square. The map signposts civic ecologies so that residents can use it when they walk around their 5kms radius.
What is An Atlas?
We are in the habit of making maps, and putting them together as atlases. So we thought it was time to try to explain why. An atlas is a book or collection of...
Walk #1
On Earth Day, we organised a walk through Green Square to observe civic environmental practices happening within the precinct. We gathered at Joynton Avenue...
Reflections on the Seed Saving Workshop
As I cycle down Joynton Avenue from Bourke Street, I spot some freshly painted green cycle lanes – the nicest I have seen in Sydney. Concrete and cranes fill...
Green Square Atlas of Civic Ecologies: Questionnaire #1
If you live or work in Green Square, we would love to hear from you about the neighbourhood and the environment. We have made a quick questionnaire, that...