Kuala Lumpur is the heart of Malaysia and is currently number 24 in the list of metropolitan areas in Asia with the largest population. The Asian continent is one of the fastest growing continents in the world, with increasing urbanization and a high growth rate for cities. Like other cities around the world, Kuala Lumpur have become one of the most impervious areas in Malaysia due to its rapid development. Kuala Lumpur total area is 32,900 ha with total impervious area of 18,514 ha [1]. This shows more than 50% of Kuala Lumpur is hard surfaces. The urban sprawl has caused the surrounding area to expand as fast as Kuala Lumpur. This condition makes urban forestry almost impossible due to lack of land area that allows planting to take place.
Urban areas are complex in nature. Since people reside and are actively involved in daily activities within these urban areas, there is a need to enhance urban environment to ensure good human health. The rapid development of Kuala Lumpur came with a price: increase of air pollution, heat, flash flood, high population density and others and constant remedial actions are taken year by year. But these are measurable conditions; we should also be more concerned about the air we breathe and the effect towards our overall health. The importance of urban greening is very high. It was estimated by the World Health Organization; annually more than one million premature deaths are associated by urban air pollution [2]. As stated by Frumkin [3], human contact with nature ‘may be directly beneficial to health’.
The promising capability of plants in removing pollutants has been demonstrated by previous study in Singapore where sulphur dioxide and nitrous acid were reduced 37% and 21%. It was estimated a number of 800,000 kg of nitrous acid could be removed per year in Detroit if 20% of all industrial and commercial roof were planted with sedum [4].
The use of plants for good overall well-being has been proven by many researchers [3,5,6,7]. A work area with exposure to nature ‘gives restorative effects’ and can reduce stress [5]. Workers are said to have fewer headaches when viewing nature [3]. Even though users cannot assess a vertical greenery, it was proven that even ‘visual contact with plants can result in direct health benefits’ [6]. However, in terms of space availability and building structures, vertical greenery may seem as a better option in order to integrate plants within the urban fabric.
However, there are (definitely) some pros and cons on installing plants on building facades. The choice of material, planting system, plants and ‘budget-friendly’ designs are important factors to look through. Therefore designers must consult and study thoroughly the vertical greenery system’s requirements as different cities provide different environmental variables.
There are several interesting vertical greenery projects that I would LOVE to go and see it with my own eyes. Most of these successful vertical greenery are in the Europe region. Maybe I should find a conference on that side of the world *wink wink
Examples of interesting sites at the Dezeen.com website [link] & also at thisiscollosal.com [link]
Reference
[1] Yusof, J. 2011. The true colors of Kuala Lumpur’s green spaces: Identifying and analyzing the many qualities or urban green spaces. Unpublished PhD Thesis, University of Edinburgh, Scotland.
[2] Yang, J., Yu, Q. & Gong, P. (2008). Quantifying air pollution removal by green roofs in Chicago. Atmospheric Environment. 42(31): 7266-7273.
[3] Frumkin, H. (2001). Beyond toxicity: Human health and natural environment. American
Journal of Preventive Medicine.20(3): 234-240.
[4] Rowe, D.B. (2011). Green roofs as a means of pollution abatement.Environmental Pollution. 159(3-4): 310-319.
[5] Taib, N. & Abdullah, A. (2012). Study of landscape gardens: Expectations and users’ perceptions of a high-rise office building. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences.50: 633-642.
[6] Sheweka, S. & Magdy, N. (2011). The living walls as an approach for a healthy urban environment. Energy Procedia. 6: 592-599.
[7] Fan, Y., Das, K.V. & Chen, Q. (2011). Neighborhood green, social support, physical activity, and stress: Assessing the cumulative impact. Health & Place. 17(6): 1202-1211.
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