The Vertical Forest high-rise complex (Bosco Verticale) in Milan, as viewed from the Porta Nuova Gardens on October 28, 2019. Miguel Medina / AFP / Getty Images By Alan Simson The 21st century is the urban century. It has been forecast that urban areas across the world will have expanded by more than 2.5 billion people by 2050. The scale and speed of urbanization has created significant environmental and health problems for urban dwellers. These problems are often made worse by a lack of contact with the natural world. With research group the Tree Urbanistas , I have been considering and debating how to solve these problems. By 2119, it is only through re-establishing contact with the natural world, particularly trees, that cities will be able to function, be viable and able to support their populations. Future Cities The creation of urban forests will make cities worth living in, able to function and support their populations: Treetopias. This re-design will include the planting of many more urban trees and other vegetation – and making use of new, more creative methods. Although we didn’t fully realize it at the time, the 1986 Hundertwasserhaus in Vienna, a building that incorporated 200 […]
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