Towards Eco-Centric Interaction: Urban Playful Interventions in the Anthropocene

The twin crises of nature and climate is supported by overwhelming scientific evidence and increasing public concern about long-term and potentially irreversible consequences of the Anthropocene. People and wildlife living today, as well as future generations, are at risk unless urgent action is taken to reverse the loss of plants, insects and other creatures on which we depend for food, clean water, and a stable climate. As urban dwellings become the main concentration of citizens, we thought of addressing these issues through a series of urban interventions aiming at educating and enhancing the user’s biodiversity and sustainability awareness through play and reflection. We provide a list of preliminary insights, discussed, and shared trying to frame how these new interventions can contribute to a panorama where playful interactions in smart cities can inspire sustainable and respectful attitudes towards nature. We conclude with a constructive conversation about playful urban approaches aimed at understanding how the interaction process could be re-centered to promote environmental protection and ecological consciousness on the part of technology users. Our case studies strive to reconcile concepts and theories, about ecological computing, more than human design, biodiversity actions and nature awareness and conservation in urban settings, for the design of urban playful and enjoyable systems that promote environmental protection and ecological consciousness on the part of technology users.