urbanize

They benefit from space, sunlight and flexibility — qualities that Los Angeles has in abundance across its 1,600 square miles of urbanized area.

That research has shed light on existential threats facing the big cats eking out an existence in an increasingly urbanized landscape.

“In the U.S., which is highly urbanized and there are laws for sanitation, waste management, etc., the prevalence is substantially low,” Chaccour told Salon in a phone interview.

The increasing occurrence of wildfires in urban areas suggests a need for increased outreach to residents of more urbanized neighborhoods and communities that have never experienced wildfires,” the study authors wrote.

That can be hard to come by in highly urbanized areas.