Wildlife is constantly adapting to a rapidly changing urban world – but how is urbanism responding to wildlife in our era of climate change? How might ecology redesign the urban realm? And how can designing urban spaces for biodiversity improve health for all inhabitants?
This 2026 Yale @ Climate Week NYC panel, Multi-Species Urbanism: Creatures of Change will be an interdisciplinary discussion on ecological cohabitation in urban environments, particularly discussing the implementation of multi-scale wildlife infrastructure in response to global climate change, rapid biodiversity loss, and urban health concerns.
Urban-wildlife researcher Dr. Gabriel Gadsden will moderate a conversation with wildlife ecologist Dr. Nyeema Harris, environmental health scientist Dr. Kai Chen, multi-species landscape architect Kate Orff, and ecological architect Anna Dyson. The panelists will discuss a primary question: “How, why, and for whom should we design a multi-species city?” and explore topics of human-nonhuman interaction, health, and ecological infrastructure implementation in major cities within the United States.
This discussion aims to spark new dialogue on the role of ecology in urban spaces and create cross-disciplinary connections between researchers, designers, and emerging professionals towards an ecological urban future for all.
