Building Biodiverse Urban Forests in the Post-Soviet City

Abstract

This visual essay outlines how Ruderal, a studio based in Tbilisi, Georgia, has developed new approaches to urban forestry applicable to the legacy of Soviet-era forests. The collapse of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic and the resulting rapid privatization led to the reduction and degradation of Tbilisi’s public spaces. Ruderal’s approach to urban forestry is presented in three projects: the Mtatsminda Pilot Project (including Narikala Ridge), the Betania House Forest Garden, and the Arsenal Oasis Project. The projects illustrate how a new practice of urban forestry has grown from the limitations and opportunities of Tbilisi’s urban context. Ruderal’s practice pursues interventions at multiple scales along the following forestry principles: 1) grafting into baseline conditions; 2) utilising and expanding the ‘fertile section’; 3) incorporating genetic diversity and species competition.