Wildlife

Animal Welfare Considerations in Urban Planning

Urban planning decisions profoundly affect wildlife welfare through habitat creation or destruction, road design, lighting, and infrastructure that can support or harm urban animal populations.

Key Facts

Urban green infrastructure including parks and street trees supports significant wildlife populations
Light pollution disrupts circadian rhythms and migration in birds, bats, and insects
Green roofs and walls provide urban wildlife corridors in dense built environments
Wildlife-inclusive building design includes bird-safe glass, bat boxes, and hedgehog highways
Some cities have adopted formal biodiversity and wildlife welfare considerations in planning policy

Welfare Considerations

Urban planning determines the welfare of the millions of wild animals that live in cities alongside humans. Road design affects roadkill rates. Lighting affects nocturnal species. Building materials determine window collision rates. Green space connectivity enables movement and foraging. Cities that plan for wildlife create environments where urban animals can find food, shelter, and movement routes — reducing the chronic stress of habitat-poor urban environments.

What You Can Do

Engage with local planning consultations on wildlife-inclusive design requirements
Support adoption of bird-safe glass standards in your municipality
Advocate for wildlife corridors including hedgehog highways and bat boxes in urban developments
Plant native species in gardens that support urban wildlife food webs
Follow wildlife-inclusive urban design resources from organizations like CIEEM and Buglife