Architecture firm Stefano Boeri Architetti based in Milan, Italy has designed plans for a sustainable city in Cancun, Mexico. Dubbed ‘Smart Forest City Cancun’, the plan is to have this be a model for future sustainable urban projects. It was created for Grupo Karim’s, a real estate and textile company from Honduras and is an alternative plan to a shopping district in the area.
The area is 557 hectares or around 1376 acres and is currently being used as a sand quarry for hotels. The proposed plan for the city would be for it to be 100% sustainable, produce its food and energy and would be home to 130,000 inhabitants.
Landscape architect and botanist Laura Gatti has spent time selecting and designing the Smart Forest City. Her design includes 7.5 million plants that would cover 400 of the 557 hectares. 260,000 of those would be trees with the rest being a mix of different shrubbery and bushes. The city would be able to absorb 116,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year while only emitting 5,800 tons.
The Smart Forest City would have green rooftops along with plants growing up the sides of buildings known as green facades. The firm states that between nature or proposed green areas and inhabitants, it will create a perfect balance for the carbon footprint.
Water is key to the project. They plan on gathering the water in a large basin near the entrance to the city. There will be a desalination tower located there as well. This will help ensure the soil has the proper minerals needed for planting, cultivation, and irrigation of food crops. The water will then be distributed through canals that will flow throughout the city connected by an underground maritime pipe. Many gardens will also be strategically placed to help in case of flooding.
German company Transsolar would also be involved in the project and would construct a ring of solar panels around the city, which would accompany the city’s own agricultural fields. The plan is for the city to have a full-scale circular economy.
Included in the plans would be an advanced research center for sustainability and green infrastructure large enough to host universities, as well as international organizations.
Residents of the city would park their vehicles outside the city. Once inside, residents would have access to electric vehicles and transport systems. Of course, walking and biking will be encouraged as well.
I think Smart Forest City Cancun sounds like a much better idea than a shopping center. There are plenty of shopping centers already, some of them abandoned and unused. As long as they don’t put a dome over the top and close people in then it could be a good model for future green communities.
