Animals and the City: A Southeast Asian Historical Perspective

Abstract

More recent discourses in urban ecology, urban geography, and urban planning have led to the realisation, as an outcome of the Covid-19 pandemic, of the need to emphasize the benefits to human health and well-being of green space and green infrastructure (e.g. parks, living walls) that would allow animals and their ecosystems to thrive in urban environments. To recentre the foci in public policy discussions of creating a greener, more sustainable, and more resilient cities, considerations for the habitat of fauna and wildlife animals must be re-instated in discussions about future cities in all aspects, including architecture, infrastructure, and urban design. These must include the social dynamics of people and animals, including wildlife, particularly in considerations of and in relation to landscaping, parks, open space, air, and water. Owens and Wolch (2017) discussed concerns about the consideration of animals in connection with a robust urban theory in the age of ecology. Animals become part of the planning decision for cities and the allocation of places suitable for animals, such as parks and zoos. Nevertheless, in the early days of city planning, animals were part of city development rather than separate aspects requiring their own town planning decisions. Fauna plays a vital role in animal-related transportation in planning the buildings and the streets. The planning of streets and buildings in early towns and villages made way for animals used for transport, like elephants, horses, and even bull or oxen. Wilson (2016) discussed the elephants in the city of Chiang Mai that were part of daily human activities but now have been reduced to artistic and cultural depictions and, through the incorporation of elephant images, imbued within the built environment in the city.