The rewilding trend is quietly reshaping how people live, especially in cities. It’s part lifestyle shift, part environmental reset. As spring 2025 unfolds, more people seek less screen time and more green time.
Rewilding feels like an answer to post-urban burnout, linking slow living with eco-consciousness in real time. After years of fast-paced, screen-filled routines, people are craving tactile experiences and real-world connection. Even in dense cityscapes, the call for nature is growing louder — through small habits, greener spaces and a shift in values.
What is rewilding — and why is it trending now?
Rewilding, at its core, means returning an environment to its natural state. In House Beautiful, Michael Hagen, curator of the Rock Garden and Native Plant Garden at New York Botanical Garden, says, “The term essentially means restoring wilderness.” He added, “It’s founded in the concept that we’re missing animals from our landscape, and we must restore natural processes and species to return the ecosystem to its original state.” But rewilding isn’t limited to national parks. It shows up in backyards, balconies and city corners, too. “The mindset is that you’re gardening with nature, not for nature,” Hagen adds.
In 2025, rewilding meets a growing desire to step back from over-curation and move toward something more grounded, reciprocal and real. As the NEXT Conference notes, people are actively resetting their relationship with digital life — from reevaluating phone-first childhoods to reassessing how remote work shapes daily life. After decades spent digitizing every part of life, there’s growing awareness that limits exist.
Everyday ways to rewild your life in the city
Urban living doesn’t cancel out the natural world. The key is noticing what’s already there — and making space for more.
Go barefoot in the park
Spending time barefoot in a grassy space helps reconnect body and mind. It’s a way to literally ground yourself in the natural world. Even a few minutes a day can reset your energy.
Turn your ledge into a green zone
Balconies, fire escapes and windowsills are small but mighty. A few planters with herbs or flowers can transform overlooked corners into living spaces. These micro-habitats also support pollinators.
Create nature rituals
Daily habits like journaling outdoors, birdwatching or catching a sunrise bring rhythm and calm. These rituals build awareness and deepen your sense of place.
Pocket the phone, tune into the moment
Leave the phone tucked away during your nature time. Listen for wind, leaves or distant birds instead of notifications. It’s a reset for your attention span — and your mood.
Urban gardening, no backyard required
Urban living often limits access to urban space, but that doesn’t mean gardening is off the table. Even in small apartments with no yard, there are creative and practical ways to grow fresh herbs, vegetables and flowers. With the right approach, a living space can become a thriving green haven. Grow Organic shares 4 ways to enjoy a successful garden at home, even without a yard.
Hang it all: Maximize vertical space
Vertical gardening makes the most of small square footage. Hanging baskets, wall-mounted planters and tiered shelving help greenery grow up instead of out. It’s a smart way to expand plant life without taking over your floor.
Windowsills and sunny spots: Harness natural light
Even a sliver of sunlight can support herbs or leafy greens. South-facing windows, ledges and kitchen corners can house plants that thrive with minimal care. Natural light keeps growth consistent and energy efficient.
Where the sun doesn’t shine: Gardening in low light
Not every space is sun-drenched — and that’s okay. Plants like pothos, ferns and snake plants do well in lower light. Choose varieties that adapt easily and don’t need direct rays.
Growing in the dark: Soil-free solutions
Hydroponic and aquaponic systems work well indoors and don’t rely on soil or sunlight. These setups use water and nutrients to sustain greens year-round. They’re ideal for modern apartments with limited space or lighting.
Nature-inspired interiors
According to Decorilla, biophilia refers to the innate human desire to feel connected to nature. It’s the urge to engage with life beyond our own — to see, touch and exist among other living things. Biophilic design brings that instinct indoors, using materials, colors and shapes that echo the natural world.
This is where natural textures come in. Linen, wood, rattan and stone bring warmth and depth without demanding attention. They root a space — visually and emotionally. Earth tones, on the other hand, help ground the overall feel. Soft greens, muted browns and sun-baked clays reflect the natural world and create a calming presence. Even a single color shift can change how a space moves through the day. Finally, a bundle of dried herbs or a smoothed river stone can hold the memory of a walk or a season. Displaying these pieces brings nature closer and adds meaning to a room.
The rise of sensory rewilding
Rewilding isn’t only about what you see; it also includes how nature sounds, smells and feels. Sensory rewilding invites people to reconnect with the wild through the senses, even in the middle of a city. A study about nature sounds and natural soundscapes are increasingly identified as important ecosystem services that can aid psychological restoration as well as well-being more broadly. These sounds help restore attention and encourage mindfulness — a way to experience nature without needing a full landscape.
Scent is another entry point. Essential oils like pine, cedar and lavender mimic natural environments and can shift a room’s mood. A diffuser or even a few drops on clothing can bring that forest-floor calm indoors.
Movement completes the sensory loop. Outdoor practices like forest bathing, meditative walking or barefoot grounding engage the body and slow the mind. These habits replace digital scrolls with presence and rhythm — two things modern life often lacks.
Eating with the seasons to reconnect with the earth
Eating seasonal foods fosters a deeper connection to the natural world, a point supported by Eden Health Retreat, which highlights this practice as a way to nourish the body and mind while staying attuned to nature’s cycles. “Seasonal foods are an important part of all-year health,” says nutritionist Ash. “The secret to eating seasonally is to shop locally. By shopping locally at farmer’s markets or produce stores, you’re guaranteed the freshest and tastiest ingredients and the provenance of your fruit and vegetables.”
Eating locally and seasonally supports sustainable farming, reduces food miles and helps protect the environment. Aligning meals with what’s in season helps reduce the environmental impact of imported goods, cutting down on long-distance transportation and lowering greenhouse gas emissions. A visit to a farmers’ market also brings more than just flavor to the table — it strengthens local food systems and keeps seasonal produce in rotation. Cooking with whole, unprocessed ingredients closes the gap between soil and plate, making each meal a more intentional act.
How to rewild with kids
Rewilding works for families, too. It starts with curiosity and open-ended time outside. These simple activities help children engage their senses and build a sense of connection with the world around them.
Explore with nature walks and unstructured play
According to Green Man Survival, children need opportunities to test, build and imagine freely. That means getting muddy, playing with sticks and observing animals like frogs and bugs. It’s in building dens, lighting fires or pretending to fend off wild creatures that their confidence and creativity grow — something no screen simulation can truly replace.
Try simple DIY crafts
Bird feeders made from recycled containers or leaf rubbings from a nearby tree turn everyday nature into art. These small projects give hands-on learning a purpose and also a quiet way to slow down and notice what’s growing nearby.
Encourage respectful connection
Rewilding with kids isn’t just about activity — it’s about attitude. Encourage them to watch without disturbing, to listen without rushing. This kind of mindfulness helps shape a lifelong respect for the natural world.
Rewilding for mental wellness
Psychology Today notes that spending time in nature doesn’t just feel good; it’s backed by science. Research shows that natural environments can significantly affect systems that regulate stress and support immune function. One study, for example, found that time in forest environments enhances the activity of natural killer (NK) cells — essential for immune defense — while also lowering stress markers like cortisol (Tsao et al., 2018).
Beyond the physical, nature offers a mental reset, giving the mind a break from digital demands and creating space for reflection, emotional balance and creative thinking. Human rewilding builds on these ideas, encouraging a full-spectrum connection with the outdoors — physical, emotional and mental. It’s about restoring harmony in an overstimulated world, one grounded moment at a time.
City rewilding is growing — literally
Rewilding isn’t just a personal act — it’s becoming a public movement. Cities around the world are experimenting with new ways to bring wildness back into urban environments. Green rooftops, native plant corridors and pollinator pathways are just the start. These projects support biodiversity while also improving air quality, cooling cities and offering residents a direct connection to local ecosystems. Bee-friendly zones and wildflower gardens are showing up where concrete once ruled.
More urban areas are embracing this shift, weaving nature into infrastructure in ways that are both practical and poetic. Residents can get involved, too. Support local initiatives, advocate for native planting and participate in community green efforts. Even noticing and naming what’s blooming on your block can help nurture that connection.
Full circle with the wild in reach
Rewilding is about letting nature show up in everyday life. It’s not about chasing wilderness — but about noticing what’s already here. A barefoot walk, a plant on the windowsill, five minutes of stillness outside — they all count. In a world full of screens and schedules, that kind of shift feels both simple and radical.
Jennifer Allen, retired chef turned cookbook author, blogger and traveler, shares her adventures and travel tips at All The Best Spots. Living at home with her family — and the cats that rule them all — her work has been featured in The Washington Post, Seattle Times, MSN and more.