Urban wildlife: How humans and animals can better coexist in cities

Whether we really think about it or not, cities are habitats for animals. Beyond a flock of pigeons or dogs on a leash, cities are home to all manner of wildlife - depending where you are, you might have bats, coyotes or even bobcats roaming around. How can cities better accommodate the land we share with our beastie brethren and what might be some potential benefits if we get better at it?

 

This episode we’re joined by Peter Alagona, a professor of environmental studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and author of The Accidental Ecosystem: People and Wildlife in American Cities. We’re also joined by Erica Spotswood, a senior ecologist at Second Nature, an urban planning consultancy specializing in integrating nature into urban design. She's also the coauthor of “The Biological Deserts Fallacy”, a paper that outlines the unique ways that cities contribute to regional biodiversity.