MAR 02

Greater Mexico City is the third largest metropolitan area in the world and the largest in the Western Hemisphere with a population of over 22 million people. The city is home to much of Mexico’s economy, industry and culture.

However, it is also horribly polluted, contributing 1.5 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. The city is so polluted, in fact, that 4,000 people die every year as a direct result of the toxic chemicals that float in the air over much of the city. The Mexico City Human Rights Commission declared that the state of the city was a “violation of the right to a healthy environment.”

The good news is that the city’s leadership appears to be finally making a push to clean up their act. A new project has been launched called Sustainable Housing Units, which seeks to create a vegetative urban environment to help clean up the city's air.

The project will place vertical gardens, rain water filters and solar panels in newly constructed housing towers. The first of these will be in the La Valenciana area of the Iztapalapa zone. The city has installed 10 solar-powered water systems here, and has also transformed 700 square meters of wall space (approximately 60 x 105 ft) into a rich vertical garden with rocky soils for water filtration.

Marco Antonio Hernández, who worked with the company that installed the new green building additions, has confirmed that the government is funding 30 similar projects in other zones of the city. When it comes to Mexico City, the air quality can hardly get worse, but it appears that the city is at least beginning to make a sincere effort to make it better.

via Triple Pundit

Comments (7)

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the steps, they are soooo small
written by Gerry, March 02, 2009

60 x 105 ft...22 million people. That's the entire population of Australia and a green space they put up that's about equal to the average size of one city lot. I'm guessing there's not enough green there to filter out the CO2 from more than three vehicles per year.

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written by Jeff, March 02, 2009

Gerry, great comment. You gave me a chuckle this morning. The photo makes it seem like there isn't much sunlight for photosynthesis, so the effect of that area will be even less than it could be. At least someone is trying to clean things up a bit, all be it very little.

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written by Ivan, March 02, 2009

1. they aren't even saying they'd want to filter out the CO2, I think that such a surface planted with the right species can do wonders for things like aromatics...

2. a journey of a thousand miles always being with a single step ;)

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Humm...
written by Jalule, March 06, 2009

Well, I for starters, I live in SouthAm. and I know a thing or two of Mexico City...
the biggest problem is the buses and its freakingly hazardous gas emissions.

Nevertheless, first thing that came to my mind, was the Hitites, the people of Summeria that had very similar things in their buildings, they even selected the type of plant in order to clean the air and prevent diseases.
Oh well. The Mayan did that too before Cortés, so, they are just growing a new backbone. :)

Hope you guys have a follow-up of this one!
Neat stuff!
Love, from Colombia

Jalule.

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phytotechnologies
written by Ian, March 11, 2009

This approach, purifying air with vegetation, is one of the technologies being termed phytotechnologies. The goal of phytotechnologies are to restore lost ecosystem services in urban and industrial lands. Plants are very effective at purifying air, soil and water. There are specific requirements that have to be met to create functional landscape systems. It is not as simple as growing a garden, although that does do a little. Phytotech is taking off all over the world!

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I thgin its workin
written by monik, March 12, 2009

Hey just to let you know, i am mexican and although I don't live in mexico city, i do know that 2008 was the year with the most days of clean air the city has had in around 20 years, so i think all this phytotech proyects along with the regulations for car emmissions, are really doing something significant.

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written by Hector, March 16, 2009

Dear Jerry et al,

Although the photo does show a cloudy ambiance, Mexico City, the oldest capital in North America, is quite sunny throughout the year.

Although it is a green initiative whose impact may be a drop in the bucket, it is worth celebrating, at least from a beautification perspective.

Cheers from Riyadh,
Hector

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