Not any plants and not any balcony. I'm talking specifically about these newfangled skyscrapers playing pretend that they are vertical forests. So main differences are a) building is big and tall, b) there are dedicated "balconies" for a big plants - shrubs, small trees etc., whole nano garden in every spot, c) these spots are mandatory, not like you are putting some potted plants on your own balcony.
Disclaimer - these play pretend forests are NOT bad per se (the plant part at least). They are just hilariously inefficient way to spend money and space.
The issues I see with them:
1. This additional horizontal space costs money. The plants cost money. The maintenance of the whole thing costs even more money.
2. There needs to be access to them from the apartments (violating privacy), or they are only accessed from the outside, multiplying maintenance costs.
3. What if the plant dies? Who pays for replacement?
4. Unless these islands of plants are hermetically sealed from the apartments, who will pay and deal with water leaks from the plants to the inside of the building, who will deal with mold, insects and so on?
5. What if the wind blows the heavy plant or tree down on something or someone?
6. The space usage is very bad, it's like tens of trees per whole building. A small park beside the building can beat that number by 100 times.
Vertical forests is a case of looks nice on the 3D render, but in practice is a waste of money plus unsafe.
And skyscrapers are simply bad for individual living. Price, infrastructure, related issues. My home city has an issue with chaotic development and there are several parts of the city with 25+ floor housing. Those are cheap, but the are mercilessly mocked by the whole city and no one voluntarily wants to live there if they have a choice and money. Also those are places with the worst traffic jams and parking issues in the whole city, except for the inner center.
PS: I very much like plant in my apartment, small and big. I've lived for years with half of my own room taken by a potted coffee tree growing into the ceiling, so I'm not some plant hater or something.
Oh come on. The rendering shows plants growing on the balcony railings. That's it. Obviously it's way overdone to make the rendering more appealing but none of the other things you said are present. Number 4 is particularly off-base because Vancouver is literally in a rain forest.
>And skyscrapers are simply bad for individual living.
Also bad for individual living: homelessness. Besides, what alternative do you suggest in a city blocked on two sides by mountains while the third and fourth are blocked by an ocean and an international border respectively?
It sounds like your city has some major problems and that is colouring your opinion. Vancouver is widely regarded as one of the most livable cities in the world [0]. That's in large part due to the density afforded by apartment buildings in the downtown core.
As an aside, the city also has stunning views. I'm in a low rise right now, but I wake up to spectacular views of snow capped mountains every day. It's the primary reason I chose this apartment. The people on the other side of my building get to see the Pacific. While the people on the north side of the building get both!
I'll give you the traffic argument though. That needs to be planned for properly and that is one of my concerns with this particular development. It's located squarely at one of the city's major bridge bottlenecks.
Disclaimer - these play pretend forests are NOT bad per se (the plant part at least). They are just hilariously inefficient way to spend money and space.
The issues I see with them:
1. This additional horizontal space costs money. The plants cost money. The maintenance of the whole thing costs even more money.
2. There needs to be access to them from the apartments (violating privacy), or they are only accessed from the outside, multiplying maintenance costs.
3. What if the plant dies? Who pays for replacement?
4. Unless these islands of plants are hermetically sealed from the apartments, who will pay and deal with water leaks from the plants to the inside of the building, who will deal with mold, insects and so on?
5. What if the wind blows the heavy plant or tree down on something or someone?
6. The space usage is very bad, it's like tens of trees per whole building. A small park beside the building can beat that number by 100 times.
Vertical forests is a case of looks nice on the 3D render, but in practice is a waste of money plus unsafe.
And skyscrapers are simply bad for individual living. Price, infrastructure, related issues. My home city has an issue with chaotic development and there are several parts of the city with 25+ floor housing. Those are cheap, but the are mercilessly mocked by the whole city and no one voluntarily wants to live there if they have a choice and money. Also those are places with the worst traffic jams and parking issues in the whole city, except for the inner center.
PS: I very much like plant in my apartment, small and big. I've lived for years with half of my own room taken by a potted coffee tree growing into the ceiling, so I'm not some plant hater or something.