Walk through any city and you’ll notice how much vertical space is literally dead bare concrete.

Spanish botanist and the founder of “Paisajismo Urbano” Ignacio Solano has spent more than 20 years turning these walls alive. In this conversation, Ignacio Solano explains how modern vertical gardens have moved far beyond their high-maintenance reputation – he says today’s systems need just one maintenance visit a year while producing three times more oxygen than a conventional green space. And Latin America seems to be way ahead on this: while European cities typically have just a handful of living walls, Buenos Aires, Mexico City and Bogotá each have hundreds. We also talk about who can actually build these gardens: Ignacio says it’s not just botanists and architects – everyday enthusiasts can learn his system in five days (it’s a paid course) and go on to transform their cities.

Can you imagine what all cities could look like if we stopped treating walls as dead surfaces?

About the author

A Euronews journalist since 2001, Denis Loctier has produced short TV documentaries on more than 200 international research projects and covered a variety of other topics, from economy and tourism to international politics and military conflicts.

From 2019 to 2025, as the anchor and producer of “Ocean”, Euronews’ monthly show specialised in the blue economy and marine life, Denis travelled around the world exploring the effects of climate change and human activities on ocean health, talking directly with fishers, business owners, port authorities and policy-makers. “Ocean” has taken Denis and his team to places such as Greenland, the Caribbean Sea, Seychelles, Svalbard, Cabo Verde, Thailand and the Marshall Islands.

Denis holds a PhD in Information and Communication Sciences and is certified to operate in hostile environments. He can also fly paragliders, pilot drones, navigate vessels, and dive to depths of 60 meters.

Follow on social