Liuzhou Forest City

Liuzhou Forest City is the first green city to be developed in China. Image: courtesy of Stefano Boeri Architetti.

The self-sustaining project will help in reducing pollution. Image: courtesy of Stefano Boeri Architetti.

Liuzhou Forest City will cover an area of 138.5ha. Image: courtesy of Stefano Boeri Architetti.

All buildings and facilities of the green city will be covered with plants and trees. Image: courtesy of Stefano Boeri Architetti.

A high-speed electric line will connect the Forest City with the main city. Image: courtesy of Stefano Boeri Architetti.

More than 40,000 trees and one million plants will cover the green city. Image: courtesy of Stefano Boeri Architetti.

Liuzhou Forest City, a new green city planned to be built near Liuzhou, a mountain area in Guangxi, China, will be the first such green project in China as well as the rest of the world.

The project, which will house more than 30,000 inhabitants, is being undertaken by Liuzhou Municipality Urban Planning. The master plan was designed by Stefano Boeri Architetti in association with Tongyan Architectural and Planning Design.

The green city will be entirely self-sustaining and will help to reduce pollution. Construction of the city is set to begin in 2020, after undertaking careful planning and research into the various aspects of the city.

Development of Liuzhou Forest City follows the successful implementation of similar projects by Stefano Boeri, including Bosco Verticale in Milan, Italy, and the under-construction Nanjing Vertical Forest in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.

The project is expected to serve as an example to future investors and developers to build similar forest cities in the country.

Liuzhou Forest City project purpose

Rapid industrialisation has led China to become the world’s biggest greenhouse gases emitter. The country’s reliance on coal-fired plants has further worsened the emissions.

Industrialisation has led to the rapid deterioration of China’s air quality, despite helping millions of citizens escape poverty. Large parts of the country are plagued with problems of smog, which has caused health problems and deaths.

Overpopulation is another concern in the country, creating the constant need for living spaces.

Liuzhou Forest City is a result of China’s plans to create attractive residential areas outside its main cities and to move more than two million people to rural areas in order to curb migration and poverty, while increasing modernisation.

The project complies with new regulations aimed at developing eco-friendly and sustainable buildings. It will help to reduce pollution, while creating appealing urban spaces.

Masterplan details of the new green city

The Liuzhou Forest City masterplan envisages the development of a 138.5ha area located along the Liujiang river. It will include houses, hotels, villas, offices, hospitals, schools, commercial and retail spaces, and recreational areas. The buildings will be aligned along the river, serving as an urban bridge to the new Liuzhou city under construction across the river.

All the buildings will be covered by plants and trees of various shapes and sizes. The city is expected to host 40,000 trees and more than one million plants of approximately 100 species. The trees and plants will be located in parks, gardens and streets, as well as the facades of the buildings.

The greenery will absorb approximately 10,000t of carbon dioxide and 57t of pollutants such as soot and fine dust, while producing approximately 900t of oxygen a year. It will also help in reducing the average air temperature, provide noise barriers, and improve biodiversity by creating a habitat for birds, insects and small animals.

Sustainable features of Liuzhou Forest City

In addition to the large green cover, the Forest City will be energy self-sufficient. Solar panels will be installed on the roofs of the building in order to produce renewable energy and electricity for air-conditioning will be sourced from geothermal energy.

The new city will use only electric vehicles for transportation and will be connected to the main city through a high-speed electric line.