Cities contain millions of animals — both companion and wild — whose welfare is shaped by urban design, human behavior, and the complex interface between human and animal needs.
Urban environments are home to an enormous diversity of animals whose welfare is directly shaped by how cities are designed and managed. Companion animals in cities face challenges of restricted exercise space, noise, and heat; urban wildlife navigates vehicles, glass buildings, artificial light, and predation from cats. City design and policy decisions — from building glass standards to park provisions to wildlife management protocols — have profound welfare implications. Welfare-conscious urban planning recognizes that cities can and should accommodate animal welfare alongside human needs: bird-safe building materials, urban greenways, pet-inclusive public spaces, and coexistence-based wildlife management all contribute to cities where animal welfare is built into the urban fabric.