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Green Roofs

Green roofs are currently experiencing a forty per cent growth rate in North America. They add to an improved quality of life in cities by helping address Heat Island microclimates.

Chicago Green Roof Grant Program

Cities are heat islands, with air temperatures as much as eight degrees higher than surrounding areas. Mostly, it occurs because of the modification to a city’s land surface, particularly the use of concrete, asphalt and other ‘hard’ materials. In 2000, the City of Chicago began the Urban Heat Island Initiative and planted a City Hall rooftop garden to test the benefits of green roofs with regard to air temperature and air quality. The City Hall garden has more than 20,000 plants of 100 different species, most prairie plants native to the Chicago region.
The pilot project was a success. It was confirmed that roof gardens improve air quality, conserve energy, reduce storm water runoff and help lessen the urban heat island effect. Now Chicago boasts 2.5 million square feet of downtown roof space covered in garden materials such as sedum and prairie grass. This explosion has been in part due to Chicago’s grant program for the development of green roofs. In addition to new green crowns on high rises in the central city, Chicago has sprouted green roofs on firehouses, banks, and many single-family homes. The benefits of green roofs are becoming embedded in Chicago’s infrastructure, an important platform in the city’s sustainability vision for improved quality of life.

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