Vertical forest: green open space alternative in urban area development

Abstract

Addressing environmental problems in urban areas, the Law No. 26 of 2007 has mandated local governments to preserve Green Open Space (GOS) covering minimum 30% of its area. However, some local governments barely meet this obligation due to high price of lands and budget constraints. Meanwhile, an innovation in the form of vertical forest started to be applied in developed countries may be adopted to overcome the limited land constraint for developing GOS. This study was conducted to determine the opportunities for implementing vertical forest as an alternative solution for the constraints. In addition, it also aims to find out the possibility of its application for spatial planning policies so that it supports the national sustainable development goal. This study is an explorative research with qualitative method. The study concluded that vertical forest essentially is suitable to be implemented as an alternative solution to limited land for the GOS development. From the policy perspective, the development of vertical forest can encourage the competitiveness of the green city program. Therefore, the government need to design incentive policies for local governments and the private sectors to develop vertical forest. It is also necessary to adjust GOS developing regulation to become more accommodating so that vertical forest can be recognized as part of GOS.

Greenery-Covered Tall Buildings: A Review

“…Design justification is needed since they have not been built before, and developers and architects need the authorities' backing. For example, some claim Bosco Verticale received the government's support because it was built before the Milan Expo [67]. Therefore, the local authorities supported the project as a showcase project for the city, which does not always happen.…”

“…The botanical part resulted from three years of research with botanists and ethnologists. It started in the summer of 2010 when the plants that would go on the towers were grown in a special botanical "nursery" near Peverelli Nursery and garden center to get them used to living in conditions like those in their natural habitat [67].…”

“…In contrast, the trees and plants integrated into the building's design can sequester around 18 tons of CO 2 annually. This presents a scenario where the tower's greenery could take around 55 years to offset the carbon emissions produced solely by constructing its balconies [67].…”

“…This dynamic necessitates a holistic assessment of the ecological impact of these buildings, considering both their initial environmental costs and their capacity to contribute positively to carbon sequestration and reduction over time. As the pursuit of sustainable urban development continues, finding ways to minimize carbon emissions during construction while maximizing the long-term environmental benefits of greenery integration becomes a critical consideration [67].…”

Integrating Nature into High-Rise Buildings: Innovative Design Approaches

“…Meanwhile, the integrated trees and plants sequester 18 tons of CO 2 annually. Therefore, the tower would need approximately 55 years to offset the carbon footprint of its balconies alone (Pribadi et al, 2021).…”