The Vegetative City | Plant Consciousness Commentary

The Vegetative City

In “The Vegetative City,” Andrea Mubi Brighenti attempts to explore the concept of urban vegetation and its influence on the urban environment. I say attempt, because although I love the concept of this paper, I struggled to get through it.

Brighenti examines the interplay between natural and built environments, suggesting that vegetation is not merely an ornamental addition to the cityscape but a fundamental stratum that shapes the passive side of urban life. Brighenti characterizes this by discreet, ramified growth, brainless sentience, and aeonic or ‘eternal’ temporality, which I challenge in my analysis. The paper delves into how vegetation influences various areas of the environment, but it seems to jump from biological to theoretical, and from urban to rural without a clear understanding of what Brighenti wants to accomplish.

By analyzing various dimensions of urban greenery, Brighenti aims to highlight the importance of the plant perspective, while at the same time negating that plants have the intelligence to create said perspective. It is an odd combination of messaging, and I welcome your thoughts on it.

Topics covered about vegetative city

  • The vegetative city is a distinct mode of existence in urban space that exists in between other strata of the city. ​
  • The vegetative stratum can be understood as a prism for understanding the urban process and is better understood by art rather than theory. ​
  • The vegetative city thrives in between the animated city, constantly filling the interstices of the latter, and can be observed in various forms such as gardens, wild gardens, and even architectural ruins. ​
  • The vegetative stratum is a layer of existence that is inherent not only in plants, but also animals and possibly other biological kingdoms. ​

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References

Brighenti, A. M. 2018. The vegetative city. Culture, Theory and Critique, 59(3), 215–231. https://doi.org/10.1080/14735784.2018.1478320

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