In her once verdant, now largely barren home city of Amman, architect and urban forester Deema Assaf is working to expedite the return native forests through soil engineering and careful design.

“Many would wonder if rich ecologies had ever existed here,” she said. “Once known as the City of Waters, Amman today sits on the edge of a desert landscape. Its valleys that once flowed with gushing rivers have transformed into corridors of concrete asphalt and honking cars.”

Through her research studio TAYYŪN, she has been able to establish the equivalent of a hundred-year-old forest in just 10 years, as well as create niche habitats for the different creatures that share the city space. These include the Urban Pigeon Tower and the Insect Hotel—both designed to help endangered species whose populations have been heavily affected by urbanization and habitat loss inside Amman.

“It goes beyond native forest creation. For us, it's a part of maintaining the genetic diversity that is millions of years old, and how we can keep it alive in the soil, and in people's lives and memories.”