What if our homes, neighborhoods, and cities were resilient, generous, and regenerative habitats for all life forms? What if our gardens and parks were havens of untouched nature, clean air, and wild fruits instead of a cosmetic afterthought? What if urbanization was a restorative act of the land, no longer synonymous with ecosystem destruction? In this talk, Deema Assaf discusses how we can bridge the growing disconnect between man-made landscapes and native ecologies and reveals our need for frameworks and practices that honor the land and its natural history and move from cross-species prejudices and marginalization to ecological integration.

Deema Assaf is a Jordanian architect and urban forester. She is the founder & director of TAYYŪN, an Amman-based research studio exploring intersections of urbanism, deep ecology, and ethics of placemaking. Her work focuses on urban rewilding and regeneration of urban ecosystems through urban forest creation and cross-species architecture. Deema received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Architecture from the University of Jordan and received training in permaculture design and forest making using the Miyawaki Methodology.

The talk will be in Arabic.