Eco-sustainability is a hot topic and in 2018 there has been a real escalation in public attention. There are more and more events to raise the awareness of people and institutions so that industries, multinationals, but especially large metropolises, pay more attention to the problem of waste and pollution and begin to support a new dimension of liveability within cities, more in touch with nature and green. The positive side of the pandemic caused by the Covid-19 was to show that a green future can only give advantages to man but above all to the planet; and if our planet breathes and lives better, we act accordingly.

 

 The world of construction and architecture had already taken their steps towards the design and construction of more eco-sustainable structures and buildings, with smart and green features: 

• photovoltaic panels installed on roofs;
• energy classes with low CO2 release;
• smog-eating facades;

Much more can be achieved in our cities to break down the barriers of pollution and let our planet breathe. Among these projects there is a really impressive one: the "Smart City Forest" in Cancun, Mexico, designed by architect Stefano Boeri. The architect is one of the greatest exponents of sustainable architecture and supporter of the strong relationship that can exist between man, nature and architecture. In fact, he has been working for some time now, together with his collaborators, on projects that involve urban planning changes integrating an important plant component giving rise to the now famous urban forestation interventions. Among the most famous projects we remember - besides the Mexican forest city - two other forest cities in China and the Vertical Forest of Milan. These realizations to give life to "a new and rich urban ecosystem". 

The idea of the Smart City Forest has opened the eyes for a new architectural and building era, characterized by a precise motto "the countryside will break into the city": the houses will have huge windows, terraces and balconies so that indoor life is reduced and you can reconnect with nature. It will change the interior design, the making of tools for the home, everyday life: in short, everything will change, but it will change into green. 

 

Smart City Forest

Speaking of the project itself, it will rise in Mexico in the city of Cancun: a city that will occupy 557 hectares to host:

• 130 thousand inhabitants 
• 7,500,000 plants 

But it is not only the large quantities of plants and population density that are the only innovative elements. Within the millennium city we will find: 

• a water collection and distribution system built on a dock system, connected to a water channel and a hypogeum and photovoltaic panels. The amount of water studied and that will be collected will not only be sufficient for the daily needs of families, but will create navigable canals and canals to irrigate agricultural fields;
• transport within the city will be all green, so that the inhabitants can leave their vehicles outside the metropolis and move exclusively in an ecological way. 

A new architectural era that focuses completely on eco-sustainability - to help our planet to survive and us to live in a greener way - which is being summed up in the projects of the new smart city forest.