Most cities weren’t designed with wildlife in mind. They were designed for speed, density, efficiency. And yet nature keeps turning up anyway.
In cracks > on rooftops > along forgotten edges.
Running rewilding projects in Devon has taught us something important: nature doesn’t need an invitation written in planning permission language. It just needs opportunity. Our smaller scale rewilding in our parks transfers so easily to the city.
What rewilding looks like on the ground
When we begin a rewilding project, the first thing we usually do is… less.
Less mowing.
Less interference.
Less assumption that we know best.
Very quickly, landscapes start to respond. Wildflowers appear that haven’t been seen for years. Insects return. Birds follow.
This isn’t nostalgia. It’s ecology doing what it does when pressure is reduced.
The urban version of the same idea
Now scale that down.
A shared garden that stops being cut every two weeks.
A planter that swaps decorative plants for native ones.
An office courtyard that allows flowering plants to complete their cycle.
The same process happens - just on a smaller canvas.
Urban rewilding isn’t about copying the countryside. It’s about applying the same principle: create space, then step back.
“But I rent” (and other common blockers)
One of the biggest myths we hear is that rewilding requires ownership. In reality:
Pots are portable
Containers can be temporary
Native plants don’t demand long-term contracts
Rewilding can be flexible. Quiet. Adaptable.
It can live quite happily in borrowed spaces.
Why Devon still matters to city rewilders
Our Devon rewilding projects give us living laboratories. They show what happens when ecosystems are allowed to rebuild - and they remind us that nature is resilient when supported consistently.
Subscribers help fund that work. In return, we share what we’re learning so it can be applied anywhere - including the middle of a city.
No meadows required.
Just curiosity, patience, and a willingness to let nature lead.
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