Somewhere between a magazine and a fanzine, A°2021 is an original editorial object co-published by the École urbaine de Lyon and Éditions deux-cent-cinq. It brings together texts by numerous authors from a variety of scientific, literary and artistic fields that allow us to understand the notion of the Anthropocene.
What we propose to call the “Anthropocene” is the historical moment that began after 1945 with the onset of the phase of generalised urbanisation of the planet, during which it becomes undeniable that human activities are having an increasingly strong impact on biophysical systems. These upheavals can be observed everywhere, both globally and locally. To such an extent that the Earth’s habitability for humans and non-humans is being questioned.
The aim here is to revisit thought and social phenomena based on the recognition of this crisis of habitability on an unprecedented scale and to propose avenues for reflection and action so that we can collectively invent new ways of co-habiting.
Ensuring that we can reflect on and discuss these major contemporary issues is a requirement at the heart of the second issue of the magazine and of the Urban School’s public service mission.