Mexico City's Highway Pillars Become Vertical Gardens

[Uncle Joe]

[Sailor65x1]

1. I've seen this in several Mexican cities recently

It looks really nice

[Uncle Joe]

3. A little more background info for the people

It has been said that "Mexico City’s air has gone from among the world’s cleanest to among the dirtiest in the span of a generation."[1] Historic air pollution episodes of the 1950s led to acute increases in infant mortality.[2]

Much improvement was made in the city since 1992, when the United Nations named Mexico City "the most polluted city on the planet." At the time pollution was thought to cause 1,000 deaths and 35,000 hospitalizations per year.[3]

In 2012 ozone and other air pollutants ranked at about the same level as Los Angeles.[4] This improvement in air quality was achieved, starting in the 1980s, through the Mexican government's requirement that gasoline be reformulated, that polluting factories be closed or moved, and that drivers be prohibited from using their car one day per week. More recently there has been an expansion of public transportation.[5] Air pollution has been a major issue in Mexico City for decades.

(snip)

Connections have been found between air pollution and school absenteeism among children in Mexico City,[8] between air pollution and heart rate variability among the elderly in Mexico City,[9] and between urban air pollutants on emergency visits for childhood asthma in Mexico City.[10][11]

I agree Sailor, it looks nice as well.

[Ohiogal]

2. That's not kudzu, is it?

That stuff grows right before your eyes!

[Uncle Joe]

4. I don't believe so Ohiogal, here is a little more info

(snip)

In 2012, regional social awareness non-profit VerdMX started creating stunning—and environmentally-friendly—vertical gardens around the city. "The main priority for vertical gardens is to transform the city," architect Fernando Ortiz Monasterio told the New York Times at the time. "It's a way to intervene in the environment." Four years later, as a result of a Change.org citizen petition to the government, a similar initiative dubbed "Via Verde" has expanded to incorporate existing structures around town.

(snip)

The project aims to cultivate enough plants to produce enough oxygen for more than 25,000 residents and create hundreds of jobs—both directly and indirectly—in the process. "Vertical gardens are cultivated on exterior building walls with plants that grow without the need of any type of soil," explains Mexico City: A Knowledge Economy, a brief published by Mexico City think tank Scientika. "Among such plants are epiphytes, many types of mosses and lichens, orchids, ferns, and bromeliads. Also called 'air plants,' many of these species are dependent on other plan species and do not root in the ground. Vertical gardens serve as air filters and regulate heat, reducing temperature by as much as eight degrees outside and can decrease as much as ten decibels of noise pollution."

https://www.foodandwine.com/travel/mexico-citys-vertical-gardens-clear-air

[suffragette]

19. Creating a better environment AND jobs. What a fantastic idea.

Great post, Uncle Joe.

[Uncle Joe]

20. Thank you suffragette

[suffragette]

21. Imagine once the orchids bloom. What a contrast from grey concrete. Add the pride in a job well

done.

This idea should be implemented everywhere.

[Uncle Joe]

22. I totally agree, great beautification, diminishing the impact of concrete heat islands,

absorbing more CO2 via photosynthesis from entering the atmosphere, noise reduction and an overall stress reliever, imagine if every city embraced some form of this.

I believe a more subtle benefit would occur as well in that humanity would be more connected to nature going a long way to deleting the illusion that humankind isn't intricately tied to the natural environment.

[suffragette]

23. Entirely agree. Sustainable environment and jobs. Also, enhances and connects with unique culture

of each place since could/would use plants that thrive in each specific environment.

Also, demonstrates use of current technology to improve environment.

Made me think back to the articles about the Starry Night bike path in the Netherlands. The creator of that shared some thoughts that I think also fit with the Mexico City project.

https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2014/11/17/364136732/in-a-dutch-town-a-glowing-bike-path-inspired-by-van-gogh

”You have people who are interested in technology to make landscapes which are energy neutral," he tells NPR. "You have people interested in cultural history and experiencing it in a contemporary way. You have boys and girls who have a first date and want to take their date to a special place."

And, he adds, "You have an artist like me who wants to create something just incredibly poetic; and all that comes together. A good project generates new stories."

https://m.

[Uncle Joe]

24. That's beautiful suffragette

[suffragette]

25. It's wonderful when beauty and utility embrace. We need more of it in this world.

[RandomAccess]

5. China is building vertical garden buildings --

http://www.iflscience.com/environment/china-to-get-vertical-gardens-in-2018-to-help-tackle-smog/

And I believe something similar is being done in Europe -- France, Netherlands, somewhere. It's a terrific idea; there's no reason not to. It provides beauty, oxygen, cooling effect on the buildings in summer and some additional insulation for winter, etc.

[Uncle Joe]

6. I agree RandomAccess, it is a terrific idea, this is also taking hold in India

[procon]

7. What a great idea.

The added greenery also looks a nicer than concrete, too, and no more painting or power washing. Covering vertical spaces with plants would also eliminate the costs of removing graffiti. All those plants and the water they use would reduce the heat that radiates from concrete structures, which can be too hot to touch here in sunny you know where.

[Uncle Joe]

8. Yes procon and it also has the added benefit of reducing noise levels and stress.

[YOHABLO]

9. I'm just wondering if all this growth could damage the concrete that it's growing on.

[Uncle Joe]

10. Check out the 33 second mark of the video YOHABLO

[YOHABLO]

14. Excellent ! No concrete problem there.

[shadowmayor]

11. Green Jobs

Pollution reduction, oxygen production, beautification, and jobs. Who could be against this? Oh yeah - I think we all know.

[Duppers]

12. Excellent idea and thread.

Thank you, Joe. 🙏

[Uncle Joe]

13. Thank you Duppers

[Nitram]

15. We saw quite a few green buildings and green walls in Taiwan.

It is much easier to grow stuff year round in a tropical or semi-tropical climate.

[Uncle Joe]

16. I was there for a few days

while I was in the corps but it was during Christmas.

[BadGimp]

17. I feel sorry for the plants

[Nitram]

18. Don't. Plants are just waiting in place for civilization to crash and they'll take over immediately.

You won't recognize the place a year later. You should see the radiation zones in Fukushima or Chernobyl.

[saidsimplesimon]

26. Thanks Uncle,

drought resistant trees are another "green" option. If the tree can not survive in a desert, it is not meant for Arizona or California.

[Uncle Joe]

27. Thank you saidsimplesimon