When China decides to do something, the country can be incredibly agile and quick in implementation. One example is the construction of a "Forest City" that pushes the boundaries of sustainable urban planning and development, a concept the EPA should certainly take a look at.
The Chinese government has broken ground on this Forest City with the ambitious plan to have it fully completed by 2020, an urban development that will be covered in plants and solar panels. The city will sit along the Liujiang River in the mountainous region of Guangxi in southern China.
The design is the brainchild of Stefano Boeri Architetti (SBA), an Italian architectural agency known for environmentally focused urban designs. A key premise for this Forest City will be to fight air pollution that has engulfed many of China's metropolitan areas and remains a critical health threat to the Chinese people.
The city will include typical buildings such as schools, offices, hotels, hospitals, and homes of course. Albeit, these will all be covered in thousands of trees and plants of various species.
Below are some key statistics about the city, including its ability to scrub the air of CO2 and pollutants and release oxygen. As the city ages and trees become older they will only absorb more CO2 and become more effective. A single adult tree can absorb 48 pounds of CO2 and about 260 pounds of oxygen per year. This is because trees, opposite to humans, take in CO2 and release oxygen during photosynthesis.
- 10,000 tons of CO2 absorption per year
- 57 tons of pollutant absorption per year
- 900 tons of oxygen produced per year
- 30,000 inhabitants
- 40,000 tress within the city
- 1 million plants and over 100 species within the city
The abundance of plants will improve many aspects of the city such as air quality and pollution. A few key side benefits include a lower average air temperature, improved biodiversity of plants and animals in the area, noise barriers, and an ecosystem for birds and insects.
The Forest City will also boast geothermal energy for air conditioning of the buildings and solar panels on roofs to supplement. To get around the residents will be able to use an electric rail line that goes through the center of the city in addition to electric cars.
This ambitious plan will be an example to the global community on how to build sustainable cities that help cut down on pollution while at the same time generate biodiversity and fresh oxygen.
This concept may not work exactly as built here for every city but there are certainly ideas and best practices that can be implemented around the world. This is especially true in highly populated polluted areas that are badly in need of more green space.
