Beyond Green Facades: Measuring the Ecology of Vertical Gardens in Quito, Ecuador

Whilst the cities of the world seem to have an insatiable appetite for expansion, development and growth, the natural habitat within them is in constant decline and fragmentation. Space has become valuable, and as such green areas come under threat. In the face of this, vertical gardens become attractive, offering biophilia, energy reduction and ecology services in a vertical area. Whilst the gardens often consider the aesthetic design, there is little research on the empirical, measured ecological services they give in maintaining biodiversity. This paper aims to fill some of that gap, researching into the diversity of birds and invertebrates found at three vertical gardens in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. It was found that they do indeed play an important role, and so should be taken into account for design, planning and policy as part of sustainable city development of the present and for the future.