Rethinking urban nature spaces beyond green parks

Cities around the world are racing to plant more trees and create greener streets. However, they’re losing sight of one big truth: not every place is meant to be green in the traditional way. Images from Europe and North America have long shaped the idea of urban nature—lush lawns, shady parks, and leafy boulevards. But in deserts and other dry regions where water is scarce, forcing landscapes to appear green comes at a high cost, potentially harming the local biodiversity that cities aim to protect.

Greenspaces in these dry habitats will not naturally benefit the native flora and fauna, as these have had centuries and millennia to adapt to the heat, drought, and open space of drylands. Instead, these heavily-managed greenspaces are more likely to benefit non-native species. That’s where yellowspaces come in.

Yellowspaces are lightly managed or natural dryland habitats such as those featuring native shrubs, hardy grasses, rocky gardens, and open sandy spaces. They do not look like the advertised picture of nature, but they support local wildlife better than imported lawns and thirsty ornamental plants.

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