/ Studies / Saskia Bryner
Digging through Imaginaries of Urban Nature. A Site Analysis: Allmend Grüzefeld, Winterthur.
Saskia Bryner | Master Thesis , 2023
Around 3000 BC, Uruk in ancient Mesopotamia was the world's most densely populated city, housing 50,000 to 80,000 people in 8 square kilometers. Wilson (2022) describes Uruk as a triumph over nature, with fertile gardens and a sophisticated canal system from the Euphrates River. In 444 BC, Thurioi in southern Italy was established as a model democratic society with a Pythagorean orthogonal structure promoting equal distribution (Tabor 2003). Hippodamos, Phaleas, and Plato contributed to the concept of ideal states (Maahs 2019). In 1516, Thomas More's "Utopia" introduced the utopian literary genre, addressing themes like happiness, societal harmony, governance, and property, reflecting on the tension between reality and ideal (Van Klink et al., 2022).
Uruk, Thurioi, and More's Utopia demonstrate how humanity has historically manipulated nature through urban development. This thesis explores the interplay of past, present, and future urban nature imaginaries in Winterthur, focusing on the Allmend Grüzefeld area. Winterthur is significant due to personal connections, population densification pressures, and the need for sustainable urban strategies. The thesis examines historical and contemporary visions to inform future urban green space development, addressing the evolving relationship between cities and nature (Harvey 2008). By tracing the Mattenbach stream, it investigates human-nature relationship perceptions, aiming to transcend the urban/nature dichotomy in everyday life.