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Urban Jungle : Wilding the City, from the author of Metropolis

Wilson, Ben
Format: Hardback
Publisher: Vintage Publishing (Jonathan Cape Ltd)
Published: March 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781787333130
304 pages
Country of publication: United Kingdom

£22.00

Our modern-day cities might seem to represent our separation from the natural world. In fact, as Ben Wilson reveals in this captivating re-examination of urban landscapes around the world, nature has always been at the heart of the city.

Urban Jungle explores the wild side of cities past, present and future: the middens, abandoned sites and strips of land alongside railway lines. For much of history, wild patches in cities were essential for city-dwellers and the dividing line between city and countryside was blurred. Even our post-industrial cities are much wilder that we imagine – if we know where to look. On today’s urbanised planet, natural forces – be they floods, storms, droughts or pandemics – look set to determine the future. In a time of climate crisis, cities that once built walls and towers to defend against attack now have to become greener to protect themselves from external threats.

Our future – and that of the planet – will be made in the city. Only by looking deep into the past, examining the present and casting an eye to the future can we really begin to understand the bountiful potential and wonder of our extraordinary urban ecosystems.

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