In the next thirty years, it is projected that over 66% of the global population will reside in urban areas. The study of environmental systems in our cities is being driven by the realization that maintaining natural processes within the urban matrix is critical to the health of the city. Green space plays a key role in providing ecosystem services across public and private lands including parks, public rights of way, vacant land, and residential yards. In addition, urban green space promotes the health and wellbeing of urban populations and can improve the ecological resilience of our cities in the face of extreme climatic events. With rapid environmental change, urban land managers strive to make management decisions towards improving and maintaining healthy ecological patterns and processes within the urban environment. These decisions are based on current scientific evidence and their own experiences. Recent advances in urban ecology theory can provide a foundation for best management practices in urban areas. The ecology of cities allows us to study changes in temperature, nutrient cycling, and species composition within the urban context and share commonalities within and between cities providing useful results that could help management in rapidly urbanizing areas in the future. Despite a concern for managing the spread of exotic invasive species, cities typically aren’t lacking in biodiversity. How do native and introduced species interact in urban environments? How can we optimize growth and survival of native species as they adapt to urban environmental conditions? Here we showcase research that advances urban ecological theory and has the potential to influence urban land management decisions, whether on public or private property. Each presentation will include a discussion of how the findings have or could influence management and/or policy decisions in urban areas, thereby advancing our understanding of ecological studies for cities.