Urban Rewilding

Kalpana Arias,
Tech-philosopher, climate activist, podcast host, ecosomatics educator and founder of Nowadays on Earth

Urban Rewilding is the process of reclaiming urban spaces to benefit both people and the planet.

Rewilding is defined by the dynamic and mutable flow of nature, yet it is more than just conservation. The process itself involves a human touch in order to support ecosystems as they restore themselves over a period of time, allowing the immediate space to recover from degradation.

Urban rewilding reclaims city landscapes by repurposing space for nature to have its own narrative. By working with communities within a range of urban settings to develop conservation projects and supporting city-gardening efforts (on both private and public land), urban rewilding gives people sovereignty over their local environments and helps build resilience in an ever-changing socio-ecological climate.

Providing nature with a helping hand in cities increases the level of greenness for clean air, biodiversity and overall wellbeing. Though there are nuances to the levels of human intervention within each area to cultivate green spaces, urban rewilding practices generate an increase of human contact with nature as we rebuild and rethink the future of our cities.

(1) Frances Tophill, Rewilding Your Garden: Create a Haven for Birds, Bees and Butterflies

(2) Claudia West and Thomas Rainer, Planting in a Post-Wild World

(3) Beyond the Kale: Urban Agriculture and Social Justice Activism in New York City 

(4) On Guerilla Gardening: A Handbook for Gardening without Boundaries