Marianna Zioga - above dove love

[urban design & hosting]

Above dove love: Rooftop dove-tales

[keywords]

urban integration, pigeon breeding, vouta pigeons, sustainable coexistence & urbanism, closed production system, urban farming, urban ecology

[project description]

Vouta is a breed of pigeon that originated in Tyrnavos, Larissa, and Volos in Thessaly. Classified as racing pigeons, these birds are trained for racing or demonstration flights, similar to horse racing. The Vouta breed, trained to plummet from great heights, is now bred throughout Greece, with racing pigeon clubs spreading to various regions.

This proposal explores the organized reintegration of pigeons into the urban environment to alleviate the congestion of public spaces. The lack of structured accommodation for pigeons has not led to their removal from urban areas. The focus is on the Vouta breed and its potential role in enhancing urban life as a show pigeon.

The design includes a program for more effective and sustainable pigeon-human symbiosis. This involves creating a closed production system for breeding Vouta pigeons, hosting common pigeons in separate units, and using droppings as fertilizer, a technique rooted in both Eastern and Western traditions. Additionally, the cultivation and revival of traditional recipes featuring pigeons highlight the importance of locality in urban food production. This system benefits from excess food waste and reframes an element that, although often marginalized, has never disappeared from urban environments. It aims to revive an important aspect of Thessalian urban and rural traditions, returning value to the community and city dwellers.

[figures & drawings]