this
tree is rising nearly 30 stories it’s
one of almost
800 being planted to create a vertical
forest
in milan
this number of living trees would
normally fill two hectares of woodland
but here they occupy one tenth of that
area
greening the walls and roofs of our
buildings could create a rich and
extensive habitat
if we wanted it to do so
there is one city where that idea is
being applied on
a major scale singapore
2 million trees have been planted here
in the last
45 years this city
is now richer in species than any other
in the world
and this practice extends to all parts
of the city
the waterways have been cleaned up and
smooth coated otters are coming back
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but perhaps the most spectacular example
of city greening
is this grove of super trees
these 150 feet high metal structures
are now full of life
creepers have been planted to grow over
the outermost branches
this is a new urban world that we have
now designed
and built with others in mind
create the space and the animals will
come
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is this a vision of our cities of the
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future
it could be possible to see wildlife
thriving within our cities
across the planet
we after all are the architects of the
urban world
now over half of us live in an urban
environment
my home too is here in this city of
london
looking down on this great metropolis
the ingenuity with which we continue to
reshape the surface of our planet
is very striking but it’s also sobering
it reminds me of just how easy it is for
us
to lose our connection with the natural
world
yet it’s on this connection that the
future
of both humanity and the natural world
will depend
it’s surely our responsibility to do
everything within our power
to create a planet that provides a home
not just for us
but for all life on earth
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you
