The project was created via Verde with a main objective: “to convert from grey to green the city of Mexico” through the construction of vertical gardens in the columns along the peripheral. These more than 40.000 m2 Green have been a focus for countless videos in local and international media, where they emphasize the change in the priorities of the city.
There is a fear of some that with this kind of proambiental actions is limited the space in the city that is dedicated to automobiles. However, there are activist groups who argue that government support for Greenway indicates its willingness to double the car culture in a city suffocated by traffic and smog. Although some believe that the “greening” of the track is simply to make the possession of a car slightly “less culpable.”
“In Mexico City, almost all of our local pollution and mobility problems can be attributed to the excessive use of private cars,” says Sergio Andrade-Ochoa, public health coordinator for the NGO Pedestrian League. “We could simply plant trees, but there is a political fear of limiting the space in the city that is currently dedicated to cars.”
The idea of Greenway arose in 2016, when the architect Fernando Ortiz Monasterio, of the green Vertical firm, who initiated a petition through the portal of Change.org to evaluate public support. The petition described the project’s specific objectives, where it promises to: “produce enough oxygen for more than 25.000 residents, filter more than 27.000 tons of harmful gas each year, capture more than 5.000 kg of dust and process more than 10.000 kg of heavy metals “.
He also assured the project’s minimal impact: “Vertical garden technology does not jeopardize the structural integrity of a wall, while drip irrigation uses rainwater and other non-potable sources.” Actor Luis Gerardo Méndez helped spread the petition and quickly accumulated the 80.000 signatures needed to attract the attention of the Government. Greenway was approved.
“All these groups participated in this citizen proposal because it looked like something that would do well for Mexico City,” said the former head of the Government of Mexico City, Miguel Ángel Mancera Espinosa, in 2016. “Greenway could simultaneously change the appearance of the city and help meet today’s greatest commitment: the fight against climate change.”
As for financing, it was also based on public opinion. The organizers conducted a survey with several financing options: Government financing through taxes, citizen financing through donations to a public trust or private financing through corporations (with condition that 10% of the columns would be used for corporate advertising. The idea of private financing won, with almost 47% of the 2,440 votes. Subsequently, a group of corporations invested the 300 million pesos needed.
The green construction on the 1.038 columns of concrete began later in 2016 and, until now, the plants have prospered.
We must remember that improving air quality and combating climate change is not the same. While plants are crucial to combating climate change, using plants to mitigate air pollution through the phytoremediation process (converting carbon into oxygen) is somewhat more complex and the level of pollution every day requires Parallel actions in favor of this objective.