Stefano Boeri Architetti, the Italian firm responsible for the Vertical Forest residential towers in Milan, has completed the master plan for Liuzhou Forest City. It’s set to be built in the north of Liuzhou in a mountainous area in Guangxi, southern China.

Covering an area of approximately 175 hectares along the Liuzhou River, Forest City will have offices, houses, hotels, hospitals, and schools that will be entirely covered by a total of 40,000 trees and close to a million plants, including over 100 species. It will be connected to the main city of Liuzhou by a rail line with electrical train cars.

Greenery, which will be planted in parks and gardens along the streets, as well as over the facades of all the buildings, will contribute to improved air quality as the plants will absorb both carbon dioxide and fine dust particles. The trees and plants will also serve as a noise barrier, improve Liuzhou’s biodiversity, and help decrease the region’s average air temperatures.

The new city will be able to accommodate an estimated 30,000 people, and its plant-covered buildings are expected to absorb close to 10,000 tons of carbon dioxide and 57 tons of pollutants, while producing approximately 900 tons of oxygen per year.

As a self-sufficient urban establishment, Liuzhou Forest City will generate its own geothermal energy for interior air conditioning, and buildings will have solar panels installed on their roofs.

Construction is expected to begin in 2020. If the project succeeds, Liuzhou Forest City will usher a new era in eco-friendly and sustainable urban planning for China and the rest of the world.