Access for all: public space for every form of life – Interspecies City > CCCB

29 April 2026

The international seminar Access for all: public space for every form of life – Interspecies City brings together experts from around Europe will discuss new ways of understanding and designing public space as a living, shared habitat for humans and non-humans alike.

The public in public spaces is usually understood as consisting of human beings (and perhaps their pets). But the public can include many more life forms. There is a vast variety of organisms, from microbes and fungi to plants and animals whose home is the city.

What would it mean to design for all those publics? How can we take into account the lives of all those urban dwellers who are not human, and who are not always treated with due compassion? What is a public space that might be accessible for all forms of life?

9:30 a.m. Introduction: Hans Ibelings

9:45 – 11:45 a.m.

The evolution of public space

Urban public space has a very long history, but the term “public space” is only half a century old, and its definition has been evolving and expanding.

Sonia Curnier, architect and associate professor in Architectural and Urban Theory / HEIA-FR
Tomás Criado, anthropologist and interdisciplinary researcher at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya

12:00 – 1:30 p.m.

Life in the city

How can we imagine city life in an all-encompassing way? What does it mean to be human in a public space for everyone? How can we encounter and engage with other organisms?

Michael Marder, philosopher, Ikerbasque Research Professor of Philosophy at the University of the Basque Country
Marta Tafalla, philosopher and lecturer at the Autonomous University of Barcelona

3:00 – 5:00 p.m.

The design of public space for other than humans

How can and should public space accommodate organisms that are other than human? What would this require from designers if public space is to be made truly inclusive?

Helen Wilson, social and cultural geographer, professor at Durham University
Aura Luz Melis, architect and partner at the Amsterdam-based design studio Inside Outside
Joan Pino Vilalta, professor of Ecology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and director of the Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF)

This activity is part of the Barcelona 2026 World Capital of Architecture programme.

Moderators