spotting re-wilding in the wild

Re-wilding has become all the hype in recent years, and for good reason too. The pros certainly do outweigh the cons; making for a better environment both for wildlife, but also for people living there.

Recently, I visited Toronto. In case you haven't been, you should know that the city, while much smaller, is also significantly less dense than other urban cities like Detroit or Chicago. There are lots of places with open space and parks (one of the reasons for this is that Toronto is a college town) and overall is a very clean and well kept city. Another thing that's a little less easy to notice is the emergence of urban re-wilding, or more specifically hybrid versions. Trees adorn the roofs of tall apartment buildings and are planted to provide shade on sidewalks. Roundabouts are well maintained and are decorated with brightly colored flowers, and boulevards feature lush greenery as well. It's not even just for the aesthetic too, I noticed the improved air quality almost right away. It makes for a nice place to just walk around -- it was definitely more enjoyable walking around in Toronto for me than Chicago and Detroit.

I believe that the direct effects of embracing urban re-wilding are there and it should be considered in bigger cities with a more severe environmental impact. But, the big question regarding the amount of open space available does pose an issue. We can't simply destroy buildings just to build a park. There already isn't enough space for people living there; its expensive, and demolishing places for them to live will only make it worse. Thus, I propose to encourage the implementation of hybrid alternatives like the ones seen in Toronto. Living walls and rooftop gardens are cheap, and don't take up a significant amount of  working space. 

Cities like Detroit are teeming with growth, many new businesses and great restaurants are popping up on every block, and reincorporating natural elements can entice even younger people to move there or even just visit. People will want to start walking around again, and the overall pollution (both air and sound) can be reduced. Stress levels will also be lower, so the state of the environment can be one less thing to worry about.