A smog-fighting forest city designed to scrub the air of pollutants with its one million plants and trees is currently under development in southern China.
At first glance, artist renderings for Liuzhou Forest City evoke images of a futuristic city invaded by jungle overgrowth.
That's because the entire city is designed to be carpeted in plant life, including every building façade and surface area available.
When complete in 2020, the city will span an area covering 175 hectares along the Liujiang River in southern China, and house 30,000 residents.
Instead of miles of concrete, steel and pavement, Liuzhou Forest City will be covered with 40,000 trees and one million plants representing more than 100 species.
As they breathe in and out, the flora will help scrub the air of an estimated 57 tons of pollutants, absorb 10,000 tons of carbon dioxide and produce 900 tons of oxygen
In addition to cleaning up the air, the jungle-like city will help decrease the average air temperature, create noise barriers and improve biodiversity by offering a habitat for birds, insects and small animals.
Geothermal energy will power buildings' air-conditioning and solar panels will be used to collect renewable energy.
The project is modeled after the Vertical Forest Milan by the Italian firm Stefano Boeri Architetti. Other vertical forest projects are planned for Nanjing, Shanghai and Shenzen in China.
