The innumerable leafy squares and green spaces of Britain's cities have long been the envy of other countries. Urban and suburban landscapes have developed across Britain on an ambitious scale for hundreds of years, allowing wildlife to flourish and new habitats to emerge. Not since Richard Fitter's landmark publication in 1945, 'London's Natural History' - volume 3 in the New Naturalist series - has there been a comprehensive guide to urban natural history. Since then there have been major advances in the conservation of nature in our towns and cities, and there is even more to say about how animals and plants have adapted, in varying degrees, to urbanisation. But this is not merely an exploration of natural history within the urban environment - David Goode uses his knowledge of urban ecology to describe the range of habitats and species which exist within urban areas, and shows how our understanding is being applied to encourage a greater variety of nature into towns and cities. He illustrates how an ecological approach can be incorporated within planning and design to create a range of habitats from tiny oases to extensive new urban woodland and wetlands

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