Urban animism sees cities as living reefs: ecosystems where humans, spirits, and places interact. This essay explores the shift from stewardship to custodianship, arguing that we’re not managers of urban life but participants with responsibility for the whole. From struggling neighbourhoods to thriving laneways, what does it mean to live as co-inhabitants in a city that’s alive?

Pacific gull circling the city at sunset Yesterday, I watched a Pacific Gull circle the taller buildings of the CBD ('central business...

I feel ill. Excited, humbled, in awe. I feel trepidation. A small glimmer of hope but also fear that what's happening to me isn't real. Gods I hope I'm right. And there's a little, reserved part of me that hopes I'm wrong. I'm going to try and explain this to you in the hope it becomes a little clearer to me. And also because it might help someone else if they end up grappling with the same thing