The Nature of Our Cities

When it comes to nature, most people romanticize bucolic mountain scenery and verdant pine forests, but anyone who's ever lived in a city can tell you that nature has just as vital a role to play in urban landscapes. And with climate change altering life and mental health everywhere, nature can do more to aid and protect our cities, offering the potential to solve problems as diverse as flood preparation and wildfire management. As ecological engineer Dr. Nadina Galle argues, nature is our most critical infrastructure for tackling the climate crisis. It just needs a little help.

A fellow at MIT's Senseable City Lab and selected for Forbes' 30 under 30 list, Galle has been at the forefront of the growing movement to use nature and technology together to prepare urban life for the climate challenges upon us. Now, in “The Nature of Our Cities”, she embarks on a journey as fascinating as it is pressing, showing how scientists and engineers from around the world are harnessing the power of technology and the natural world to save their cities, a phenomenon she calls the "Internet of Nature." Traveling the globe, Galle examines how urban nature, long an afterthought for many, actually points the way toward a livable future for cities. She reveals how technology can help nature navigate this precarious moment with advances such as:

Laser-mapping that identifies at-risk neighborhoods to fight deadly health disparities.
A.I.-powered robots that prevent wildfires from reaching urban areas.
Apps that track nature exposure to improve health and reduce depression.
Intelligent water gardens that protect cities from floods and hurricanes.
Advanced sensors that achieve 99% tree survival in dry, hot summers.
"Talking trees" that raise awareness of increasing deforestation in a major city.
Optimistic in spirit yet pragmatic in approach, Galle writes persuasively that the future of urban life depends on balancing the natural world with the technology that can help sustain it. By turns clear-eyed and lyrical, “The Nature of Our Cities” marks the emergence of an invigorating, prescient new talent in nature writing.