“The Nature of Cities,” created by the nonprofit Art Works for Change, includes 16 short videos from artists, animators and architects from around the world addressing the theme of urban biodiversity. The result is a visually compelling and entertaining exhibition, combined with effective storytelling, that informs and inspires viewers to respect nature and its habitats. The exhibition asks, "How can cities exist in harmony with the natural world in a way that support both people and the planet?" It is a delicate balance.

Cities are alive — with people, trees, critters, and all the diversity of life. Like all living creatures, cities consume oxygen, transform food and fuel into activity, and create waste. They can be healthy or ill, sprawling or spare, bustling with life or eerily devoid of activity.

Cities make up just 2 percent of the Earth’s surface, but they house half of the world’s people and consume 75 percent of its resources. Cities have a voracious appetite for energy, materials, water, food, and more. When we over-consume those resources, we don’t merely harm the natural environment, we affect the quality of our own lives, as well as those thousands of miles away.