Urban agriculture has already brought bees to London, tilapia to Milwaukee, and bunnies to backyards everywhere. The next frontier? Bananas in Paris, perhaps. French Architecture firm SOA has dreamed up a plan to grow the tropical fruit in the city’s moderate climes through a vertical banana plantation installed in a historic building along a dense street. While the project stands out visually as a beautiful way to integrate greenhouse agriculture within a city's grid, the mission is to create an educational farm to create a conversation around the relationship between tropical food and their metropolitan destinations.
Called Urbanana, the building's design mockups envision a completely glass façade to provide passersby a view of the productive farm within. The space would feature a research lab, restaurant, exposition space, and shop, in addition to the area for growing bananas using artificial lights. The six-story building will maximize its space by gutting out the individual floors in favor of catwalks where the plants will rest.
“The collection of features make Urbanana an agricultural operation that’s easy to insert within the urban fabric," SOA writes on its website. It’s positioned to share walls with standard commercial buildings, to make a statement to the public that there's room for agricultre even in a cramped city like Paris “However it’s transparency and lack of floors add breath and depth to the dense and confined space of the Parisian streets.”
The project suggests a way to lower greenhouse gas emissions by eliminating transportation costs involved in bringing Parisians one of their favorite fruits form the furthest reaches of the globe.
The architects conceive of Urbanana as an “embassy” for the banana in Paris. While the bananas shipped around the world are bred to travel rather than taste great, Urbanana would cultivate and enable Parisians to sample a range of varieties with interesting flavors, textures, and histories. And in doing so, the goal is to prompt discussion about the ubiquity of tropical fruit in Northern cities and the environmental impact of shipping fruit around the world.
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Grieving couple comforting each other
This response to someone grieving a friend might be the best internet comment ever
When someone is hit with the sudden loss of a friend or loved one, words rarely feel like enough. Yet, more than a decade ago, a wise Redditor named GSnow shared thoughts so profound they still bring comfort to grieving hearts today.
Originally posted around 2011, the now-famous reply was rediscovered when Upvoted, an official Reddit publication, featured it again to remind everyone of its enduring truth. It began as a simple plea for help: “My friend just died. I don't know what to do.”
What followed was a piece of writing that many consider one of the internet’s best comments of all time. It remains shared across social media, grief forums, and personal messages to this day because its honesty and metaphor speak to the raw reality of loss and the slow, irregular path toward healing.
Below is GSnow’s full reply, unchanged, in all its gentle, wave-crashing beauty:
Why this advice still matters
Mental health professionals and grief counselors often describe bereavement in stages or phases, but GSnow’s “wave theory” gives an image more relatable for many. Rather than a linear process, grief surges and retreats—sometimes triggered by a song, a place, or a simple morning cup of coffee.
In recent years, this metaphor has found renewed relevance. Communities on Reddit, TikTok, and grief support groups frequently reshare it to help explain the unpredictable nature of mourning.
Many readers say this analogy helps them feel less alone, giving them permission to ride each wave of grief rather than fight it.
Finding comfort in shared wisdom
Since this comment first surfaced, countless people have posted their own stories underneath it, thanking GSnow and passing the words to others facing fresh heartbreak. It’s proof that sometimes, the internet can feel like a global support group—strangers linked by shared loss and hope.
For those searching for more support today, organizations like The Dougy Center, GriefShare, and local bereavement groups offer compassionate resources. If you or someone you know is struggling with intense grief, please reach out to mental health professionals who can help navigate these deep waters.
When grief comes crashing like the ocean, remember these words—and hang on. There is life between the waves.
This article originally appeared four years ago.