China could be getting a forest city in the near-future

In order to best move forward as a civilization, it is of utmost importance that we recognize the mistakes done by our society in the past, and work on effective ways to correct these mistakes. It is evident that the modern model we share that tells us what a city looks like is now outdated. A new set of blueprints are now emerging from this period of trial and error, and a promising version is one that is designed by Stefano Boeri.

He calls his version of cities – Forest cities.

Who is Stefano Boeri?

An Italian by birth and an architect by profession, Stefano Boeri has gained recognition around the world for integrating nature into our natural urban environments. His most notable project so far has to be the “Vertical forests” that he has created in Milan. The visionary architect is now turning his sights towards planning cities using this successful ecological model.

Forest city Shijiazhuang

Mr. Boeri’s Forest City Shijiazhuang is supposed to house 100,000 people and is a brand new development project that could be implemented in china soon.

Despite holding a smaller number of people compared to most big cities, it will require only a fraction of the space. Normally, it would take 25,000 hectares to house 100,000 people, but Mr. Boeri’s model ensures that the same population will comfortable be housed inside just 225 hectares.

According to the architect, this prototype could possibly work as a new model of urbanization in China, one that won’t “consume agricultural and natural lands” and “limit the costs of public transportation." This will be a sustainable city that will require a lot less energy in comparison to other urban areas of the same size.

The city will rely on vegetative filters on top of balconies to maintain the temperatures inside buildings, while the continuous absorption of CO2 levels due to the greenery will keep pollution levels low.

This model also has a host of other benefits, including the natural regeneration of surrounding ecosystems, thereby replenishing the planet as well. If this model is approved, we could see China implement this forest city within the next decade, and hopefully other countries will also follow suit.