Greening Cities
With human population concentrating in urban spaces we need to think about ways to bring green cover into cities. Let us explore how.
Green cover, i.e. trees, plants, shrubs, lawns (to a certain extent) etc., enhance the appeal of any place. As an added advantage, they also remove carbon, trap dust and particulate pollutants and thus give us cleaner air. However, with the human population moving to urban centres, the challenge is to create green spaces in cities.
Why greening cities is difficult?
The difficulty in cities is manifold.
The footprint area is limited. This area has to compete with buildings, roads, railways, metros, utilities, drainage systems, storm water management systems etc.
Trees do not get adequate sunlight in areas with tall buildings.
Trees require an ecosystem that includes birds, bees, insects, animals and other biological entities (fungi, mosses etc.)
City planners and managers expect tree and shrub growth to be aesthetic rather than natural. Therefore it is managed by pruning and other techniques.
Trees and green spaces pose difficulties in cleaning.
Dense tree/shrub growth poses safety risks, encroachment risks etc.
Green cover cannot match human density. We achieve higher density by building vertically. But there are limitations to the natural vertical growth of trees.
Ideas for green cover
Cities and urban spaces are becoming concrete jungles and the green areas in cities are constantly reducing. Urban planners and citizens alike are thinking of options that can help build green cover. Various ideas are being explored.
Vertical Forest is a concept to develop green cover along the buildings. The concept developed by Boeri Studios is quite interesting. While it increases the maintenance and management costs, further research and optimisation may lead to better, sustainable and self-nurturing urban green cover. We also need to differentiate between potted planting v/s connected green cover. Potted plants do not share soil-based nutrients and are not fully integrated ecosystems. Connected green cover with soil based connections should be more self-nurturing.
Vegetal Canopies is another concept. These are called Green Shades. These are stretched open sails anchored to surrounding buildings. These innovative sails are adorned with various plant species, bringing urban landscaping to a new level. By mimicking the natural canopies of forests, these green awnings offer a respite from the concrete jungle. These man-made vegetal canopies infuse the urban landscape with life, colour, and eco-friendliness.
Urban Agriculture is another idea. While the objective is the reduce reliance of the urban population on rural lands for food, the end result is actually greening the cities.
Finally, green urbanism is a concept of creating human-environment coexistence. It involves innovations in urban planning, considering the development of parks and open spaces, green sidewalks, etc. Some important concepts coming from this are access to sunlight, access to air and breeze, access to soil and greenery etc.
In Sum
While some interesting options are being considered for urban greening, we need to develop and deploy these quickly. Cities need greening fast. Let us not adopt a band-aid approach but solve the real issue.
Highlighting this issue looks and feels very important!