During the COVID19 restrictions many urban residents began to notice nature around them, perhaps for the first time, and to upload images as well as discuss this on various social media platforms. It was clear that people were beginning to recognise that there are values in wild spaces, or novel ecosystems, in cities. This is an aspect of the current nature-based solutions approach that is largely unrecognised. This session will focus on historical and emerging values of urban wild spaces and unmanaged nature. It will invite discussion on the practicalities as well as opportunities of wild spaces in cities; methodologies for engaging with communities to elicit the co-benefits; and issues of governance, management and monitoring.