Urban densification is widely promoted as a sustainable strategy to reduce land take, emissions and infrastructure costs. However, compact city models often understate their ecological consequences, accelerating habitat loss and biodiversity decline within urban areas. At the same time, cities can host substantial biological richness and, if designed and managed properly, can support both human wellbeing and nature. BIODENCITY addresses this challenge by asking how urban densification and greening can be combined to halt and reverse biodiversity loss while improving quality of life in cities. Focusing on microorganisms, insects, birds and bats as indicators of ecosystem health, the project explores how dense urban environments can become places where people and nature coexist and thrive.
