ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the structural features of urbanization that are recognized by selected wildlife species as alternative habitats that provide food, water, shelter, and protection from the elements and predators. The structural features of urbanization can be placed into two categories: green spaces and gray spaces. There are three ecological categories of urban green spaces: remnant, successional, and managed habitat patches. One of the most noticeable effects of urbanization is the degree to which natural habitats are sliced, diced, and divided, a phenomenon called “habitat fragmentation”. Despite growing interest in urban managed habitat patches (MHP) as habitats for wildlife, little is known about the differences in life history characteristics between rural and urban populations. The physical and biological structure of MHPs is a result of several synergistic factors, including culture, history, economics, ecology, and regional flora and fauna.
