Wild Cities: Discovering New Ways of Living in the Modern Urban Jungle

by Chris Fitch

Nature isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. But today the majority of the world’s population lives in some form of urban environment. And by 2050, two-thirds of humanity will live in towns and cities.

The sound of birds, the smell of tree oils, the presence of free-flowing water – these are all vital to our wellbeing. Studies have shown that a daily walk in the woods can improve our health and happiness, that those who can observe a natural scene through a hospital window will recover faster. So as the human footprint of brick, concrete and metal expands, how do we protect our connection to the natural world?

In Wild Cities, Chris Fitch leads us around the world in search of answers, visiting pioneering cities and meeting the people working at the forefront of this issue. From the tiny urban forests in Tokyo and the star-rich skies of Flagstaff, to the meandering river of Munich and lions prowling through gardens in Nairobi, this is a globe-spanning look at how to bring nature into the places we live – and how to create the wild cities of the future.

Genres: Nonfiction, Urban Planning, Nature

416 pages, Hardcover

Published November 18, 2025

Reviews

[Bloss ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A global exploration of the ways cities are slowly finding balance with nature, ecosystems, and the human need for natural connection, I loved this book!

The writing style is phenomenal. Fitch brings us with him every step of the way, explaining technical concepts in ways that are easy to understand, introducing us to amazing humans he's met along his travels, and his conversational style makes this a joy to read.

I was delighted at the breadth of topics in the book from fish migration, to biking infrastructure, to foraging, to the ways that animals have been forced to adapt to cityscapes. There's a phenomenal narrative thread and interconnectedness to every single element. Rarely do I encounter such readable and propulsive non-fic!

I can't recommend this highly enough. If you're dismayed by sprawling metropolises, car-centricity, climate breakdown... and would like a snapshot of how things could be, check out this book.

My request to review this was approved by 4th Estate / William Collins on NetGalley.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is all I want in a non-fiction read. Well researched, engaging writing, good structure that lets the ideas flow from one to the other. Increasingly, I find that if you want to know what's really going on around the world, particularly good stuff, it helps to switch off the news and pick up a book. There are so many people out there who are thinking outside the box, sharing their ideas and bringing their communities along with them, to make awesome things happen. This book has given me lots of food for thought :)

[Haxxunne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal narrative meets facts and science
—
Covering a plethora of urgent subjects, this is a book with a split personality: on one hand a gosh-darn personal narrative from a very good writer on encounters with the natural world; and on the other all of the facts and figures that should make every thinking person sit up and take action. The problem is that it veers too much one way or the other, without any linking between the personal and subjective (the clothes his interviewees are wearing, his clear delight in encounters with a beaver or a kookaburra, for two, or even the casual details he throws in from his own colourful life) and the clinical and horrifying: the global proportion of livestock against wild animals in terms of Great Pyramids of Giza (ninety to three and a bit); the 7% of unfishable waters that Sydney anglers claim is against their rights to fish anything and everything and therefore no reason to impose a fishing exclusion zone near the harbour; and so on.

I want everyone to read this book, as it gives insight into the problems facing everyone (it’s a global book arranged city by city but often detouring to other places with similar issues) and to some of the inspired and, frankly, beautiful solutions that we and nature are coming up with to combat the climate emergency. Be aware that it is written in not only a warm and engaging style but also a factual and scientific one, and the two clash on the page, sometimes in a paragraph, without warning.

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each chapter of this book follows the author to a different world city - Barcelona, Medellin, Singapore - and explores how these cities are integrating green spaces and ecological concepts. On the face of the matter, I should have loved this book as it concerns a topic I am extremely interested in.

However, I felt the book did not earn its length and could easily have been slimmed down.

On a personal note, I found the author's style grating (sorry!). The book felt like it was trying to inhabit a space between narrative and traditional non-fiction and this was not successful. There was a lot of focus on the author's interactions with experts - fine, but I don't need to know about what they were wearing and every 'mm' and 'ahh' uttered. It felt a bit odd to me that this was written by a journalist; I was taught that quotes should have a purpose but the author tended to quote every single insignificant utterance and long chunks of speech conveying information that could have been written in a far more succinct and elegant manner. I spent most of the book distracted from the very interesting concepts being explored by the irritating style choices.

Thank you to William Collins and NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Anjana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book with a lot of food for thought. The only drawback I felt was that it was a little all over the place.

At its core, it talks of how green a given city can be but even within the focus of one chapter the author talks of a few other slightly connected cities which have had something positive to show.

Being green does not necessarily mean more tree cover. There are different approaches to what makes a city ‘wild’. The available resources due to location and population, as well as the political support plays a large part in making things the way they are. Also playing a part is the actual problem that is part of their history and the one a group of people set out to fix.

The author has covered a lot of ground and I was interested in some chapters more than others. I felt like the people who gave the author the tours got a little more description than I would have expected, but a couple of chapters in I got used to that style of narration.

There’s positivity in the book. It provides fodder for thought and will definitely encourage more action at ground level if read or discussed by people civically inclined.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience

[Jenny H · Rating 5 out of 5]

The importance of vegetation in cities. The book starts with tree-hugging in Tokyo, moving on to diverse cities including Nairobi, Medellin (Columbia), Sydney and Copenhagen, with mentions of London. (I can recommend the Sky Garden, overlooking the Thames and London Eye.) The author speaks to people out in the field trying to prevent more deforestation and make more green spaces in cities, vertical or horizontal. One of the problems is how to try and join up green spaces to make green corridors, so that particular animals and plants are less likely to die out and rivers and streams can flow freely. Fascinating and thought-provoking.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chapter by chapter we discover great projects around the globe that are making cities and nature better bedfellows. We meet lots of dedicated individuals and communities who have worked hard to get these projects up and running and keep them going day to day. Sharing in the successes and explosion of more than human life that follows. A really positive and impactful book.

[Richard C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super interesting book with stories from modern cities where they have made progress in protecting nature, rewilding, or living more active / outdoor lives.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

This books uses cities from across the world as case studies on how we can rewild, enjoy nature and minimise the threat to other species. I found it fascinating, learning a lot about many places I hadn't visited, and getting a deeper insight into many cities that I know well.

As well as giving some hope that there is urgency about the state of nature in many parts of the world, I also got inspiration and tips on what I can do myself to support local nature. This was an enjoyable book that you can dip in and out of, and each chapter was fascinating.

Thanks to Chris Fitch, William Collins publishers and NetGalley, for an ARC in return for an honest review.