A new project is encouraging Fremantle residents to embrace living walls and rooftop gardens.<\/p>\n
Freo Greenskins is a collaborative initiative between Â鶹ֱ²¥\u2019s Sustainability Policy (CUSP) Institute, City of Fremantle, University of Western Australia and Murdoch University.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, City of Fremantle unveiled a series of concept diagrams produced by University of Western Australia students identifying possible locations for living walls in the Fremantle city centre.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Professor Peter Newman, CUSP Director, said this initiative encourages people in urban spaces to connect with our natural environment.<\/p>\n
\u201cCities no longer have to hold the tag of \u2018concrete jungles\u2019,\u201d Professor Newman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe now know that we can integrate living walls and natural elements into our cityscape.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe term used to describe the integration of our built environment and the living gardens is biophilia.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are seeing biophilia incorporated into many new projects and the City of Fremantle should be congratulated for taking initiative.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe benefits of living walls include increasing bio-diversity, providing a source for food production and improving the aesthetics of a building.<\/p>\n
\u201cSingapore, with living walls now incorporated into hospitals and large corporate buildings, is a great case study of a biophilic city.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Australia we have some catching up to do, however there is definitely an appetite amongst the community to see these projects grow, both figuratively and literally speaking.\u201d<\/p>\n
The City of Fremantle plans to trial a selection of the concepts towards the end of the year.<\/p>\n
CUSP will hold workshops in the coming months to offer advice on how residents can create their own living walls and rooftop gardens.<\/p>\n