With the increase of urban density and the decrease in the availability of land, the verticalization phenomenon has intensified in cities all over the world. Similar to the vertical growth of buildings, which is often a divisive issue for architects and urban planners, many initiatives have sought in the vertical dimension a possibility to foster the use of vegetation in urban areas.
But is verticalization the ideal solution to make cities greener? And what are the impacts of this action in urban areas? Furthermore, what benefits of urban plants are lost when adopting vertical solutions instead of promoting its cultivation directly on the ground?
In cities with limited available plots of land such as Tokyo and New York, vertical farms and green roofs are multiplying to take advantage of underused spaces to produce food and contribute to food security. In New York, over 36 tons of organic vegetables are grown on top of buildings every year in a system that not only produces food but also helps prevent many pollutants from reaching the city rivers. Meanwhile, in the capital of Japan, the Sorado Farm project has built orchards that are open to the public on the roofs of train stations, and an office building has transformed its facade into a vertical farm.
"Vertical forests" are another example of verticalization of green spaces in which plants are cultivated along the height of a building and have become more and more popular and successful, attaining international seals of sustainability and innovation. The Bosco Verticale (2014), a project by the Italian office Boeri Studio in Milan, is considered the first vertical forest project built in the world and has already been awarded with several prices.
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