The plan makers claim the plants in this tower to cover an area of approximately 10,000 square meters, which always comes with the usual list of benefits: filtering pollution, absorbing CO2 and dust particles, reducing noise pollution to the building, improving the microclimate, saving energy by sheltering the building from solar radiation in Summer and reducing rainwater run-off so curbing flooding.
A critical question would be: why not plant this forest horizontally? It would have the same benefits to the city but without the concrete in between? But as we don’t tend to be a cynical website, I rather focus on the strength of the idea to spatially densify the benefits of nature and to create a new landmark. This concept would allow for much more green in the city combined with interesting housing, which makes it interesting. Who doesn’t want to live in the forest and in the city at the same time? That’s possible here, also on the 27th floor. Not yet clear is whether the forrest is accessible to visitors that just want to make a short walk. I would love to “andare in giro” in a vertical forest.
In the Netherlands, two thirds of the country's surface is covered with agricultural land. Wilder Land, together with Dutch farmers, is bringing more biodiversity into that rather monocultural landscape, with delicious herbal teas as a result.
A quarter of Atlanta's residents struggle to access healthy food. The Urban Food Forest hopes to tackle this problem.
Climate adaptation doesn't have to be on a massive scale. This small-scale method sees urban brownfield sites transformed into tiny urban forests by local communities, improving biodiversity and combating climate change.