Phytopolis

“Mancuso, an expert in plant neurobiology, addresses the conflict that grows from the efficiency of urban living and the subsequent negative consequences of distancing from nature…[His] impassioned plea and accessible message will resonate with readers.” —Booklist “Suggesting that cities provide the ideal setting for human flourishing, botanist Mancuso explores how to shield them from the ravages of climate change.” —Publishers Weekly “Stefano Mancuso is an ardent human spokesperson for Kingdom Plantae. In Phytopolis, he shares a vision for cities that are not only verdant with plant life but also inspired by the physiology of plants: modular, nonhierarchical, symbiotic. Phytopolis is a revolutionary botanical manifesto.” —Marcia Bjornerud, author of Turning to Stone: Discovering the Subtle Wisdom of Rocks “Every mayor, city planner, climate resilience officer, builder, transportation expert, and anyone who cares about our global climate catastrophe should read this book. Mancuso gives me hope because he shows how the solution is all around us, if only we are humble enough to learn from other beings. A brilliant synthesis of scientific studies that is a jargonless delight to read, this is a manifesto for the urban planning revolution we so urgently need. As our species faces a dire existential crisis, this visionary researcher reminds us of our arboreal origins and brings us full circle, back to our first teachers—trees.” —Trish O’Kane, author of Birding to Change the World Praise for Stefano Mancuso: “Mancuso is the poet-philosopher of the movement, determined to win for plants the recognition they deserve.” —Michael Pollan, The New Yorker “Mancuso is a genial narrator…He effortlessly interweaves science with history, philosophy, and humor and introduces fascinating characters, very much including the plants themselves, which take on human, even heroic, traits.” —Wall Street Journal