Urban Rewilding

Urban Rewilding as a Nature-Based Solution

	Hari Srinivas
	One-Pager Series C-124

Abstract: This extended introductory note on urban rewilding provides a comprehensive overview of the concept, its dimensions, and its practical applications in cities. It defines urban rewilding as the process of reintroducing natural elements and ecological processes into built environments to restore balance, enhance biodiversity, and improve human well-being. The document explains how rewilding transforms underused or degraded urban spaces into functioning ecosystems through actions such as planting native species, creating wildlife corridors, and adopting sustainable landscape design. It highlights key benefits including biodiversity conservation, ecosystem services such as air and water purification, climate resilience through heat and flood mitigation, and improved quality of life via enhanced mental and physical health. The note also emphasizes the importance of governance, collaboration, and context-specific strategies, illustrating how partnerships among planners, communities, and institutions are essential for success. Overall, it positions urban rewilding as a flexible, scalable, and integrative approach to building resilient, livable, and sustainable cities.

Keywords: urban rewilding, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem services, climate resilience, green infrastructure, community well-being, ecological restoration, urban governance

Core Message

Urban rewilding is a nature-based solution that restores ecological processes within cities, helping address climate, water, health, and resilience challenges while creating more livable urban environments.

1. Cities Need Nature-Based Solutions

Cities face a growing range of environmental challenges, including heat waves, flooding, biodiversity loss, air pollution, and declining quality of life. Traditional grey infrastructure alone is often unable to address these interconnected problems. Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) use natural systems and ecosystem processes to tackle urban challenges while generating environmental, social, and economic benefits.

2. Definitions

What is Urban Rewilding?

What are Nature-Based Solutions?

Urban rewilding involves restoring natural habitats and ecological processes within cities, allowing nature to play a more active role in shaping urban landscapes. Unlike conventional landscaping, rewilding emphasizes native species, ecological succession, habitat connectivity, and reduced human intervention. Rewilding aims to restore ecological balance, enhance biodiversity, and improve the overall well-being of both human and non-human inhabitants of cities. It is a response to the loss of natural habitats and green spaces caused by urbanization.

Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) are actions that protect, restore, or sustainably manage natural and modified ecosystems to address societal challenges while benefiting both people and nature. In urban areas, NBS use natural processes and ecosystem functions to tackle issues such as climate change, flooding, heat stress, biodiversity loss, and public health concerns. Unlike conventional engineered approaches that often focus on a single objective, Nature-Based Solutions deliver multiple environmental, social, and economic benefits simultaneously, enhancing urban resilience and quality of life.

3. Rewilding as a Nature-Based Solution

As a Nature-Based Solution, urban rewilding harnesses the capacity of ecosystems to provide services that support human well-being and urban resilience. Rather than relying solely on engineered interventions, rewilding restores ecological functions that help cities respond to climate, environmental, and public health challenges.

The following examples demonstrate the relationship between common urban challenges and rewilding-based responses.

Urban Challenge	Rewilding Response
Urban heat islands	Expanded tree canopy and natural vegetation cool the city
Flooding and stormwater runoff	Wetlands, streams and permeable landscapes absorb water
Biodiversity loss	Creation and restoration of habitats for native species
Poor air quality	Urban forests and vegetation improve air filtration
Mental and physical health concerns	Access to natural spaces improves well-being

4. Examples of Rewilding-Based NBS

Restoring Urban Rivers and Streams Many urban waterways have been channelized, covered, or disconnected from their natural floodplains. Restoring rivers and streams improves water quality, enhances biodiversity, reduces flood risks, and creates attractive public spaces for recreation and education.	Creating Urban Wetlands Urban wetlands act as natural sponges that absorb and store excess stormwater during heavy rainfall events. They also provide important habitats for birds, amphibians, insects, and other wildlife while improving water filtration and ecosystem health.
Rewilding Vacant Lots and Brownfields Unused or degraded urban land can be transformed into thriving habitats through the introduction of native vegetation and natural ecological processes. These sites often become valuable refuges for wildlife while contributing to neighborhood revitalization and environmental improvement.	Establishing Pollinator Corridors Networks of native flowering plants can support bees, butterflies, birds, and other pollinators throughout the urban landscape. By connecting fragmented habitats, pollinator corridors improve species movement and strengthen urban ecological networks.
Expanding Native Urban Forests Planting and restoring native tree species increases urban canopy cover and enhances ecosystem resilience. Native forests provide cooling shade, improve air quality, sequester carbon, and create habitat for a wide range of species.	Naturalizing Parks and Open Spaces Traditional parks often rely on intensive maintenance and highly managed landscapes with limited ecological value. Naturalizing these spaces by incorporating native vegetation and allowing more natural processes to occur can significantly enhance biodiversity while maintaining recreational opportunities.

5. Benefits Beyond Infrastructure

Unlike engineered solutions that often address a single problem, urban rewilding generates multiple co-benefits simultaneously. A restored wetland, for example, can reduce flooding, support wildlife, improve water quality, store carbon, and provide recreational opportunities.

Similarly, vegetated roofs and walls introduce natural habitats into densely built urban areas where ground-level green space may be limited. They help reduce urban heat, manage stormwater runoff, improve air quality, and provide habitat for insects, birds, and pollinators.

Also, replacing intensively managed lawns with native meadows and grasslands supports a greater diversity of plants, insects, and wildlife. These habitats require less watering and maintenance while enhancing pollination, ecological resilience, and seasonal landscape diversity.

6. Key Takeaway

Urban rewilding represents a powerful form of Nature-Based Solution because it works with nature rather than against it. By restoring ecological processes, cities can become more resilient, healthier, and better prepared for future environmental challenges.

This work by GDRC is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. You are free to share and adapt this piece of work for your own purposes, as long as it is appropriately citied. . More info: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ on