Future cities: Speculation on the case for vertical biophilic cities

Abstract

As the world’s population increases and as populations of cities increase there is a real need to find solutions to accommodate these people. Vertical cities may provide a solution. Whilst megastructures have been built as individual buildings, thus far there are no vertical cities, but the existing megastructures indicate this is possible. The skyscrapers of vertical cities can be integrated in the skies as well as below ground as earthscrapers and host all the functions of the city including green spaces such as parks and gardens and urban agriculture. The current model of a central city core area and expansive suburbs does not provide a solution for future growth. Past and future losses in ecosystem services through extensive horizontal development cannot be sanctioned. This is an ‘ideas paper’ which speculates on the forms of future vertical cities and the necessity of integrating biophilia into the vertical city as not only do vertical cities provide an answer to accommodating the world’s burgeoning population, but the compact footprint of the city allows for an increase in nature, access to nature, allowing land that would be swamped by development to be used for farming, water collection, forests and other land uses that host the ecosystem services that are required by people and the planet.