Crossing Abyssal Lines

Abstract

Abstract This chapter explores how decolonial thought can help us understand and recover our relationships with the more-than-human in urban design contexts. This is done through stories of place from Meanjin/Brisbane, Australia, that offer a lens to look at the tangles created by the visible and invisible ‘abyssal lines’ that separate the human from the more-than-human in the city. We start by taking a walk along a local river and finish in our homes, highlighting the encounters with and perceptions of the humans towards the more-than-human in these areas. The authors weave the stories together to reflect upon some contemporary approaches to bring the more-than-human closer to human urban ontologies, and their consequences. They offer some decolonial principles that can be applied to help us untangle our perspectives and positionings to find opportunities to return to living and sharing with the more-than-human.