In the dynamic landscape of urban development, one of the most pressing issues is the need for inclusive spaces that cater not just to human inhabitants but also to the myriad forms of non-human life that share our cities. More-than-human rights, an emerging framework in urban planning, address this very challenge. This concept encompasses the legal and ethical recognition of the rights of animals, plants, and ecosystems, ensuring they are integrated into the urban fabric rather than being sidelined.
More-than-human rights operate on the principle that cities are ecosystems where every living entity plays a vital role. By incorporating legal protections and urban design strategies that prioritise non-human life, cities can become more resilient, sustainable, and harmonious. These rights are not merely theoretical but are being codified into laws and policies in progressive urban areas worldwide. For instance, some cities are now enacting ordinances that protect natural habitats, mandate green spaces, and ensure that urban development does not infringe upon the natural environments necessary for wildlife.
The practical implementation of more-than-human rights involves various innovative approaches. One such method is creating wildlife corridors, designated areas that allow animals to traverse urban spaces safely. Additionally, integrating green roofs and walls can provide habitats for birds and insects, while urban wetlands can help manage stormwater and support aquatic life. These measures not only protect biodiversity but also enhance the quality of life for human residents by creating greener, healthier environments.
As urban populations continue to grow, the pressure on natural ecosystems intensifies, leading to biodiversity loss and environmental degradation. By embracing this inclusive framework, cities can mitigate these impacts, fostering environments where human and non-human life coexist and thrive. This holistic approach not only supports ecological balance but also contributes to urban dwellers' well-being and mental health by providing them access to nature.
A legal advocacy organization working to secure legal rights for nature, including rivers, oceans, and ecosystems, often within urban contexts.
A global network of organizations and individuals committed to the universal adoption and implementation of legal systems that recognize, respect, and enforce 'Rights of Nature'.
United States · Research Lab
A research lab focused on the intersection of design, ecology, and technology, exploring how AI and design can support multispecies coexistence.
An organization dedicated to securing actual legal rights for nonhuman animals through common law litigation.
An environmental law charity that uses the power of the law to protect the planet and the people who live on it.
An international design practice that explicitly incorporates 'more than human' design principles into major urban infrastructure and landscape architecture projects.
United States · Company
An architecture and urban design practice known for 'bird-safe' building designs and ecological urbanism.
United States · Company
A bio-inspired consultancy co-founded by Janine Benyus that helps companies innovate by emulating biological forms, processes, and ecosystems.
Netherlands · Nonprofit
An organization focused on making Europe a wilder place, including initiatives that interface with urban fringes and green corridors.
Paper
Respecting nature’s limits in urban planning: values and principles for human–nature partnershipsnpj Urban Sustainability · Jan 9, 2026
This perspective paper argues that transgressing planetary boundaries requires ethical limits on nature's use in cities, proposing values and principles for human-nature partnerships in urban planning.
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Enhancing the quality of urban nature to support the shared wellbeing of people and other species: a multispecies justice approachMUST Project · Sep 16, 2025
This policy brief proposes a multispecies justice approach to urban nature restoration, emphasizing quality-based indicators that account for the wellbeing of both humans and other species.
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Eco-evolutionary dynamics shaping biodiversity in the urban mosaicNature Reviews Biodiversity · Feb 18, 2026
This review highlights how cities serve as viable habitats and evolutionary landscapes for diverse species, emphasizing the role of urban environments in maintaining global biodiversity.
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Ecological Connectivity in Urban and Semi-Urban ForestsSpringer Nature · May 30, 2025
Examines the role of urban forests as green infrastructure that supports regional habitat connectivity and biodiversity conservation, acting as corridors for species movement.
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Urban Design and the Role of Placemaking in Mainstreaming Nature-Based Solutions. Learning From the Biblioteca Degli Alberi Case Study in Milanfrontiersin.org
Nature-based solutions' (NBS) relevance for tackling environmental challenges has been on the frontiers of urban regeneration mechanisms since the beginning of the 2010s. There is an increasing interest in applying NBS in urban planning and design to build support and engagement for sustainable urban development. However, NBS's operational use as deliberate design interventions is not widely reflected in the scientific discourse, more evidence is needed on how functional and viable aspects of urban nature can be conceptualized in urban design. This calls to explore the ways urban design can advance their understanding as part of place-specific, designed urban spaces. Through an ex-post analysis, the authors examined the design and implementation process of an exemplary NBS project, the Biblioteca degli Alberi park in Milan, part of one of the largest, recent urban regeneration projects in Europe. In a synthetic analysis, design drivers, enablers, and deficiencies are discussed, which affect the park's performance both from human-centered and nature-based perspectives. The park's case demonstrates design actions and considerations affecting all stages of the life-cycle of an NBS, from the creative design phase to the development, use, and management phases, and how urban design can create conditions for amplifying the multifunctional potential of urban ecosystems. The results highlight the importance of integrating an urban ecology perspective in the entirety of the design process when implementing NBS, consequently for a successful re-scoping of urban design and planning practices to infuse human-centeredness with “nature-basedness.”
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Ruderal Resilience: Applying a Ruderal Lens to Advance Multispecies Urbanism and Social-Ecological Systems Theoryfrontiersin.org
As global urbanization accelerates, cities have become increasingly complex and hybridized, and host to novel urban landscape forms such as informal greenspaces or novel ecosystems that support ruderal and spontaneous vegetation. Researchers have documented the ecosystem services or benefits these systems provide, as well as the tradeoffs or disservices associated with biotic globalization. Despite evidence of their co-benefits, fragmented knowledge and biased views of these novel ecological forms contributes to an underestimation of their social-ecological role and potential for serving as a model for resilient and nature-based urban design and planning. The social-ecological systems discourse has improved understanding of these emerging conditions, yet may benefit from an attunement to a multispecies perspective, an ecosystem-based approach to urban planning and governance that recognizes the interdependencies of humans and other organisms. This article explores the potential social-ecological role of ruderal landscapes in facilitating this transition, referred to as ruderal resilience, as well as recent research in SES and resilience theory that may help advance concepts such as multispecies urbanism and planning. The aim is to consider the potential for spontaneous ecological self-organization to serve as a device for reinvigorating relationships with urban ecological commons and advancing social-ecological systems theory.
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Threatened river in the Amazon given rightsbrazilian.report
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MOTH - More Than Human Rightsmothrights.org
The More Than Human Life (MOTH) Project is an interdisciplinary initiative advancing rights and well-being for humans, non-humans, and the web of life that sustains us all.
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Beyond human-centered designindeed-innovation.com
Design thinking might be killing the planet, but beyond human-centered design could save the world.
