By Mia Barnes, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Body+Mind Magazine.
Dense cities are excellent for walkability, public transit and other green initiatives. However, the limited space means less room for plants and trees. One solution is to build upward, thus introducing vertical gardening to your community. This idea could transform cities and make green living more accessible for you and your neighbors. Here’s what you need to know about it.
What Is Vertical Gardening?
When you visit farms, you see rows of crops in their fields. Community gardens may take the horizontal route to make them more accessible for people to pick produce. Vertical gardening takes the opposite approach by growing plants upward. You can use walls, fences, doors and other structures to grow vegetation and increase the green citywide.
Vertical gardens have become more popular because they are necessary and practical. These plant homes are ideal for highly populated areas with minimal room for green spaces. If the only place to go is up, city planners can install them without worrying about expanding outward. Vertical gardens are also advantageous because of their height, considering worms and other creatures have difficulty climbing the buildings.
How Do Cities Benefit From Vertical Gardening?
Sustainability is a more significant focus as humans battle global warming. Vertical gardening could be one solution to reduce carbon emissions and get the planet back on track. Here are four benefits of vertical gardens in urban areas.
1. Improved Human Health
First, it’s essential to understand how vertical gardens impact human health. When around plants, you benefit from the emitted oxygen and pleasant smells. Factories and businesses can compromise living conditions, so vertical gardens make city living more manageable. Research has also demonstrated positive effects on your mental health.
A 2022 Hankyong National University study examined the psychological benefits of vertical gardens for male students. The researchers found the indoor version improved the students’ moods and mitigated negative feelings. Ultimately, the vertical garden increased parasympathetic nerve activity and induced relaxing effects.
2. Enhanced Air Quality
Air quality is a pressing problem for cities due to manufacturing and automobile emissions. The American Lung Association (ALA) says California has the four most polluted cities in the U.S., emphasizing the need for substantial changes. Vertical gardens could change the tune of metro areas by enhancing air quality and setting them on the right track.
Installing vertical gardens brings the same benefits as regular plant spaces, only in a different setting. These structures filter the air by removing pollutants and reducing human exposure. A 2023 Sustainability review found vertical gardens improved air quality and provided tangible health benefits. When the air is better, living conditions become manageable.
3. Beating the Summer Heat
Density is preferable in cities because it promotes density and discourages driving. However, concrete buildings and roads close together create heat islands and exacerbate summer temperatures. With global temperatures rising, city living becomes more challenging without green spaces. The EPA says ordinary roofing materials could be 60 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than air temperatures.
Vertical gardens are an excellent solution for heat islands because they absorb the hot sun. When plants and foliage line a building, they provide natural insulation from ultraviolet rays. Therefore, your home or office relies less on cooling systems for a comfortable interior. Building owners should consider vertical gardens along the walls and rooftops for maximum functionality.
4. Encouraging Gardens
You might not experience gardens and their benefits in the city. For example, gardeningincreases serotonin levels by increasing exercise and spending more time outside. Vertical gardens demonstrate that these green spaces can exist within large urban areas and encourage people to participate independently.
With a vertical garden, you get more opportunities to grow fresh food and spend less at the grocery store. Buying organic food can be costly, especially if it has traveled from afar. Vertical gardens make you feel accomplished because you grew something and help your daily diet. Experts say organic foods have higher vitamin and mineral content, thus boosting brain health.
How Are Vertical Gardens Challenging for Cities?
While vertical gardens are fantastic for cities, they include some logistical challenges. Here are several factors to consider when erecting them in your metro area.
Costs
Like other sustainability initiatives, cost is one of the most prohibitive factors. Building owners must account for the initial investments, such as soil and irrigation systems. These costs add up when constructing a 30-story building, and each window needs vegetation. You also must account for the price of importing plants and the ongoing maintenance of the gardens.
Another significant cost could originate with the infrastructure requirements. Your building could require extensive modifications to support the vertical garden, thus introducing expensive bills. For instance, an apartment building must be able to hold the weights of trees and irrigation systems. You could also foot the bill for renovations for drainage and irrigation purposes.
Wind Gusts
If you live in a windy city, your vertical gardens could be in trouble. Imagine flowers and trees as they line a 1,000-foot building. Higher elevations introduce intense wind speeds because the air has less friction. Plants typically benefit from wind because it creates seeds and stimulates critical hormones. However, strong gusts can be counterintuitive to your vertical gardens.
While some cities are naturally windy, other towns can face damage from natural disasters. If a hurricane arrives, it could damage vertical gardens through uprooted and broken plants. You also must worry about soil damage because the gusts could cause messes and decreased nutrients. Builders must protect vertical gardens by picking wind-resistant plants and firm soil.
Sunlight Exposure
Plants need sunlight to grow because it aids photosynthesis. Without it, your flowers and trees can’t reach the maturity levels they’re supposed to. Vertical gardens may struggle to grow in a city if they aren’t in the correct spot. Your plants may have too much shade because of surrounding buildings and their awnings.
Another inhibition could be the cities where you grow the plants. Metro areas with plenty of sunshine are less likely to struggle with vertical gardens. However, a foggy city may have less luck because of the climate. For instance, Seattle has over 200 cloudy days annually, making plant growth more difficult in this major West Coast hub.
Resource Consumption
Water is also crucial for plant growth, so buildings must have excellent irrigation to ensure all the grasses and trees get nutrients. However, this resource consumption can be cumbersome unless you’re in a rainy area. Tropical and subtropical climates could bring enough rain, but drier climates may require more water usage to sustain their growth.
Imagine constructing a building and vertical gardens on the West Coast. Due to the drier climate, this region often imposes water restrictions during droughts. Architects must incorporate efficient irrigation systems to ensure the building doesn’t exceed limits. A rainwater harvesting system helps in this situation, but it might not be enough to support all the plants.
Where Can You Find Cities With Vertical Gardens?
Populous cities have already integrated vertical gardens to help their local environments. Which ones stand out? Here are the # best examples worldwide.
Huanggang, China
If you like vertical gardens and tall buildings, head to Huanggang, China, for the Vertical Forest City. This complex houses 500 people and 5,000 trees to integrate more greenery in this city just east of Wuhan. Italian architect Stefano Boeri said he designed the building to help people feel closer to nature while still enjoying urban life.
Looking out your window, you see native trees and plants that make you feel like you live near a park. Most of the trees are Gingko Biloba, a species that has existed in China for millions of years. Greenery helps the local environment by absorbing CO2 and releasing oxygen, thus helping the city reach its carbon emission goals.
Photo by Ricardo Gomez Angel on Unsplash
Milan, Italy
Another famous Boeri project is Bosco Verticale in Milan, Italy. The renowned fashion city also boasts sustainability with its tall vertical garden, one of the first in Europe. Construction occurred in 2014, and the building has become a bastion of sustainability worldwide. Bosco Verticale reaches 110 meters high and boasts over 20,000 plants.
While the building turned out magnificent, the construction crew faced challenges. For example, the weight of the trees meant the structure had a more challenging time bearing the load. Solving this problem meant reducing soil weight instead of using steel and concrete reinforcement. Experts say concrete accounts for 8% of global emissions, so it wasn’t a sustainable option.
Iskandar Puteri, Johor, Malaysia
Living in Southeast Asia means you’re closer to the equator. While some enjoy the sunshine, others dread the rainy season because of the constant downpour. How do people in Malaysia deal with the wet and humid climate? Iskandar Puteri, Johor, is an excellent example. This small region is home to Forest City, a futuristic development overlooking the Johor Strait.
Forest City has brought vertical gardens to Malaysia through sustainable development. The buildings total 7,000 acres and 9,000 residents, though regulations have hampered its success. The tall multifamily complexes boast vegetation up and down the buildings as they overlook the beaches. Developers planned to have 700,000 people in Forest City by 2035.
Sydney, Australia
Travel about 4,000 miles south to Sydney, Australia, to find vertical gardens in the Land Down Under. While Central Park is synonymous with New York City, you’ll find a green building with the same name in Sydney’s Chippendale suburb. This large complex opened in 2013 and was among the first urban renewal projects in the area.
French architect Jean Nouvel designed the structure to revamp Sydney’s skyline and aid the area’s sustainability. There are two buildings on the property — one for residential and the other for apartments and retail. The New York park inspired this structure, as One Central Park offers green spaces for residents, businesses and customers.
Growing Great Gardens in Metro Areas
When you live in the city, it’s easy to feel disconnected from nature. However, vertical gardens make it easier to emulate relaxing in the park or a backyard garden. These green spaces are integral to public health because they filter the air, improve human health and reduce heat islands. While costs and logistics are prohibitive, vertical gardens have demonstrated their usefulness worldwide.
About the Author
Mia Barnes has been a freelance writer for over 4 years with expertise in healthy living and sustainability. Mia is also the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of the online publication, Body+Mind Magazine.