Liuzhou Forest City

This first of its kind 'forest city' is designed to demonstrate how humans and nature can co-exist while combatting issues of air pollution.

The city of Liuzhou in southern China is one of the most smog-affected areas in the world. Stefano Boeri Architetti was inspired to tackle this issue, bringing their vision to life with this trailblazing sustainable urban development with a completion date of 2020. This forest city is the first of its kind, setting an example of how exciting sustainable solutions can be and what can be achieved when a drive for positive change and innovative design are brought together in the face of climate change and anthropogenic influence.

All buildings within the development will be covered in plants of different species and sizes: all carefully researched to ensure that they are non-invasive and promote biodiversity. For Stefano Boeri Architetti, Liuzhou Forest City is built to demonstrate how society and nature can coexist in harmony. This expansion in plant cover will perform several important functions for the area, including contributing to a reduction in the heat island effect, improving air quality, decreasing average temperatures, and reducing the risk of residents’ developing heat-related illnesses, with these plants also acting as acoustic barriers (a wellbeing consideration).

Located north of the city of Liuzhou, Liuzhou Forest City will be connected to the centre with an efficient railway route, and road networks that will only be accessible to those using an electric car, further incentivising this shift away from finite fuels but also the all-too-frequent auto centrism of cities. The development will also be powered by renewables, with the harnessing of geothermal energy, and roof spaces housing solar panels in an effort to meet the energy demand through renewable technologies.

Article by Heidi Surfleet

References list

Lant, K. (2017) China has officially started construction on the world's first "Forest City", Futurism. Available at: https://futurism.com/china-has-officially-started-construction-on-the-worlds-first-forest-city (Accessed: January 31, 2023).

Liuzhou Forest City (2022) Stefano Boeri Architetti. Available at: https://www.stefanoboeriarchitetti.net/en/project/liuzhou-forest-city/ (Accessed: January 31, 2023).