Upon recommendation from our friends at IlNewyorkese, we are pleased to republish this interview.
Stefano Boeri speaks calmly about his architectural works, but it doesn’t take much rhetoric to understand how the Vertical Forest, ten years after its inauguration in Milan, has changed the way we look at cities. During the event held at the crowded Rizzoli Bookstore—attended by Consul General Fabrizio Di Michele—Boeri presented Bosco Verticale – Morphology of a Vertical Forest, the book published by Rizzoli celebrating the project’s first decade. The Vertical Forest, inaugurated in Milan in 2014, has over the years become an international symbol of green architecture, as well as a source of popular affection, as he explained during this interview. “There are children who write letters, who create scale models at school. It’s as if it were a living piece of architecture.” A building that stimulates “that small dimension of madness and mystery that can spark the imagination.” Soon, he’ll serve as a judge in an art competition for elementary school students, dedicated entirely to his creation.
It’s no coincidence that the book presentation in New York drew such a large crowd, not only made up of professionals but also curious onlookers, students, and citizens. The room was packed. “It feels like home here,” Boeri says with a smile. “New York is a city that changes; it has different moments in its history, but it always remains true to itself.” He has often visited the city, he says, ever since he was twelve years old, but this time, he felt something more. “I’d love to say that we’re working on a Vertical Forest here, too. That’s not the case yet, but it would be wonderful.” In the meantime, he’s happy to observe a city that, even without a Vertical Forest, has become one of the most vibrant laboratories in the world on the topic of smart cities.
And it’s precisely from this point that his reflection starts again. For Boeri, the concept of a smart city does not simply coincide with the application of advanced technologies or green solutions. A broader vision is needed—one that combines environment, society, and justice. “If you take away private cars from people living in neighborhoods without public transport, you reduce pollution but create huge inequalities.” The real challenge, he insists, is making sure no one is left behind. “Cities must face the ecological transition without penalizing those who are already struggling. Otherwise, we risk bringing benefits to those who already have a lot and disadvantages to those who have little.” The issue of inequality is central in many of his studio’s ongoing projects, both in Milan and around the world.
After all, it’s cities that bear the greatest responsibility for climate change. “75% of the CO2 that fuels global warming is produced by urban centers,” Boeri explains. And cities are also the ones suffering its most severe consequences, from extreme weather events to rising sea levels. “But precisely because of this, they must become the driving forces of change. They have the skills, resources, and concentration of ideas to lead this transformation.” And if Milan, with its Vertical Forest, paved the way, many other metropolises are now trying to understand how to replicate its effectiveness and adapt it to their needs.
But Boeri doesn’t limit himself to abstract reasoning about sustainability. During the interview, he also lingers on places and personal memories that reflect his connection with the city. “Washington Square is a place I always return to—my brother studied at NYU, and we lived there for a while.” Then he mentions the Guggenheim, which he considers “magical, unique, challenging.” Finally, he focuses on a lesser-known but deeply meaningful subject for him: New York’s social housing. “There are neighborhoods built in the ‘50s and ‘60s that are still standing today. They are extraordinary. When I was editor of Urbanistica magazine, we studied these developments in depth. To see them still alive today, despite everything, is impressive.”
Stefano Boeri Architetti is currently working on many projects, some of which build on the Vertical Forest model, but not exclusively. Perhaps the most fascinating project is in Nepal, near Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha. “We’re creating a large center for the Nepalese Buddhist community, where they’ve discovered one of Buddha’s relics.” Boeri describes the experience as moving: “We met with twenty-five Buddhist schools; there were five thousand people. It’s a project that has deeply engaged us, both on a human and professional level.”
And while architecture continues to grapple with the challenges of the future, Boeri seems convinced that the path laid out by the Vertical Forest is only the beginning. “Nature must return to inhabit the spaces conceived for humankind,” he says. It’s not about aesthetics or fashion, but a concrete need—concerning the environment, health, and quality of life. And also, perhaps, that sense of wonder that the schoolchildren, with their drawings, remind him of every single day.