The “Green Obsession” campaign launched by Stefano Boeri Architetti has been declared the winner of the SDG Action Awards, the most important recognition of projects that support the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. As part of the SDG Action Campaign, the United Nations set out to reward initiatives that “mobilize, inspire and connect communities in order to promote positive change.” The winning initiative aims to help improve the relationship between nature and design by implementing the principles of urban forestation. Green Obsession represents a series of conferences, public programs and a book, “Green Obsession: Trees Towards Cities, Humans Towards Forests”, published in 2021 and supported by the Graham Foundation.
Green Obsession aims to present and popularize Stefano Boeri’s design philosophy based on his approach to improving urban environments through architecture, urban planning, and the careful integration of natural elements within the built structures. This vision of a possible future includes reimagining contemporary cities through the integration of rooftop gardens, backyard community gardens, urban agriculture, and tree-lined streets. Going beyond individual projects, this approach would promote the creation of ecological corridors, improving urban biodiversity, contributing to diminishing the effects of urban heat islands and increasing the quality of life for all residents.
The initiative was selected from over 5,000 entries from 190 countries, each engaged with implementing the 17 Sustainable Goals. Green Obsession has been selected as the winner of the INSPIRE category for its efforts to promote a new perspective on cities based on global collaborations and transformative policy actions. By employing a creative approach to urban planning, ecological connectivity, and urban forestry, the project demonstrates a prioritization of good health and well-being while also contributing to positive climate actions.
On behalf of the practice, Maria Chiara Pastore, Head of the Research Department of Stefano Boeri Architetti and Researcher at the Milan Politecnico, has accepted the award during the ceremony held in Rome. The UN SDG Action Campaign was established to encourage people from around the world to take action, engage the civic society and mobilize local governments and people to work towards achieving the SDGs in homes, communities, and beyond.
Green Obsession brings together 20 years of ideas and projects aimed at bringing living nature and especially trees and forests, into our cities. We must put trees and plants wherever possible: in squares, courtyards, avenues, and on the roofs and facades of houses. The two great challenges of biodiversity and the cohabitation of living species are, in fact, the basis of every project of ecological transition and reduction of the damage caused by climate change. Green Obsession is, therefore, a work commitment and, at the same time, a feeling that we would like to share with anyone who looks with courage and optimism at the future of our cities and of our species on the planet. - Stefano Boeri
As more and more cities around the world are reporting record-breaking high temperatures, posing a threat to millions of residents, the importance of integrating mitigation strategies becomes increasingly strident. Urban green spaces have been proven to be one of the most appropriate and accessible ways to lower the effects of urban heat islands and create safe and comfortable environments for urban citizens. Stefano Boeri Architetti has been at the forefront of this effort, advocating for “the need for a new proximity to nature,” developing vertical forest prototypes presented during COP27, and helping design an ecological transition for the city of Rome, Italy.
