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The Qiyi City Forest Garden residential complex in Chengdu, China, was
supposed to be a green paradise for its residents, but two years on, the
vertical forest concept has turned into a nightmare.
Back in 2018, the idea of living among dozens of exotic plants proved
very exciting for the people of Chengdu, one of China’s most polluted
cities, and by April of 2020 all 826 units in the Qiyi City Forest
Garden complex had been sold. Each unit had up to 20 types of plants
growing on the balcony, and filtering the city’s air and noise
pollution. However, instead of an urban paradise, the eight-tower
complex looks like a scene out of a post-apocalyptic film, with
balconies overrun by sprawling greenery and plagues of mosquitoes.
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For reasons unknown, only 10 families have moved into the residential
complex so far, which means most of the units and their allotted balcony
gardens are currently unattended. Recent photos show balconies virtually
swallowed up by plants, with branches hanging over balcony railings. To
make matters worse, the few residents that have moved in are complaining
that the unattended vertical forest has become a breeding ground for
mosquitoes.
Photos of the veritable urban jungle have gone viral both in China and
abroad, and in response, the property developer has promised to provide
plant maintenance four times a year and also step up pest control
efforts.
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The current state of the Qiyi City Forest Garden complex sparked a
heated debate on Chinese social media, with Hong Kong-based online
publication HK01 reporting that part of the netizens find that it is a
good idea to be living close to nature, while others cite safety
concerns regarding the sprawling plants and the pest infestation.
“When the roots of these trees develop enough to penetrate the walls,
will they affect the safety of the structure?” one person asked.
“Will a branch falling from the 30th floor kill people?” another
questioned.
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The vertical garden concept has been around for a long time. back in
2017, we wrote about Edificio Santalaia, in Bogota, at the time the
world’s largest vertical garden.
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