Chengdu’s Vertical Forest Becomes a Jungle as Few Residents Move In

Qiyi City Forest Garden in Chengdu’s Xindu District, China, was built as one of the pioneers of China’s so-called fourth-generation housing. The idea was to bring nature into dense cities by embedding a living ecosystem into an apartment tower instead of limiting greenery to rooftop gardens or ground-level parks.

The project consists of eight residential towers, each about 30 stories high, with 826 apartments. All of the units had sold by April 2020, reflecting strong early demand for the ambitious concept. Each apartment was designed with a deep balcony meant to function as a private garden, able to hold as many as 20 kinds of plants, from shrubs and climbers to small trees.

In practice, the greenery has grown far beyond the original architectural vision. The clustered balconies now create a dense green shell around the towers, giving the complex the look of an elevated urban forest. But Chengdu’s humid climate, combined with the fact that only a small number of families actually moved in, created unexpected problems.

With so few residents tending the plants, the vegetation became a breeding ground for mosquitoes, which discouraged further move-ins. Reports say only dozens of families now live in the vast complex, a fact visible in the few lights on at night and the small number of balconies that are still kept up.