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Friday, May 13, 2016

Really "green" buildings!

A few years ago I lived near a parking structure. It was 5-stories tall--taller than most buildings in town. From the top level you could get a view of the city, Or, rather, you could get a view of concrete, asphalt, brick. From overhead, buildings, roads, parking lots, and ugly bare roofs covered everything in town. Only a few trees and green spaces poked through. Now I saw what migrating birds see as they fly above all our cities.

The top of the parking structure, I thought, would make a great park or community garden--even a mini-farm. In fact, that parking structure could be converted to apartments with lower parking, middle housing, top a park.

Why couldn't all larger buildings be built with lower parking under the building to save huge scabs of parking lots. It would take less land to buy and therefore save taxes. Imagine a Walmart without huge parking lots covering acres and acres. Three levels--parking below, main store above, a beautiful park above.

Turn concrete jungles into a green living city!

 Of course, I'm not the only one to think so. But I'm not an architect. Fortunately, there are architects who see the appeal. But it will take city zoning changes to make it happen widely.

By Luca Nebuloni from Milan, Italy - Milan_7899, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40270243
How would you like to live in the apartment buildings above? It is in Milan, Italy. Is this the future of our cities? One could only hope.

Here's an article about it: Tree skyscraper

Here's the Wikipedia account

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