Posh dogs and plastic grass - the new urban nature?

Artificial lawns, comprised of realistic plastic grass, are everywhere! But why are people choosing to install them? What are the environmental and societal implications of replacing a grass (living) lawn with a plastic simulacrum? And how does this fit with society’s need to make cities greener and healthier for both people and wildlife? This talk explores these questions, drawing on various strands of emerging environmental and socio-ecological research.

From the cockapoos of Islington to the oysters of Whitstable Bay, charismatic as well as seemingly inert fauna play a role in making cities and towns more desirable places for humans to live. Casting light on the neglected entanglement of animals in gentrification, here I discuss the relations of human and non-human animals in gentrifying neighbourhoods, with a particular focus on how dogs shape urban landscapes.