ABSTRACT
Contemporary cities comprise complex systems of interlocking and overlapping ecolo-
gies; as consumers of resources and producers of waste, cities contribute significantly
to many current environmental challenges. In order to become more effective as eco-
systems, or to reduce consumption and waste, cities need to be better harmonized
with the ecologies they participate in. Historically, cities have been highly artificial envi-
ronments reliant on largely mono-functional, channelized and non-integrated infrastruc-
ture. Together with the heavy modification of landscape and ecologies caused by
urbanization this has led to environments that are intensely interrupted and not ecologi-
cally effective. To be effective cities need to have more interconnected flows of
resources, energy, organisms, information, nutrients, etc. Contemporary cities need to
achieve a dynamic, and sustainable, balance between producers, consumers and
decomposers within complex ecosystems. In order to briefly explore questions of
agency and the environment with respect to contemporary cities this chapter will
engage the concept of ‘assemblage’, as formulated by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guat-
tari, and structural ideas taken from landscape ecology.
