For the events of “Cultivons notre jardin” promoted by Institut Français Italia (IFI) in autumn 2018, IFI and Urban Lab (ex Urban Center Metropolitano) propose “Nature in the city”, a series of initiatives dedicated to the relation between nature and the city. Scholars and researchers of different disciplines examine the dynamics, sometimes contradictory, typical of the relation between built areas and natural environment, by comparing Italian and French experiences, analysing the results and discussing any open questions left unanswered.