To obtain a copy of a specific publication, users should contact the publication's publisher directly.
Abstract
The objective of this paper is to frame the context within which green, vegetated roofs can be understood as an ecologically restorative building practice and solution to certain environmental and human health problems in New York City. The paper works on the premise that due to their capacity to restore aspects of lost ecosystem function, green roofs can serve as a first step in the creation of a cost-beneficial “ecological infrastructure” of sustainable urban design, green building, and ecological restoration practices. The origins and state of current problems – stormwater runoff, urban heat island effect, and climate change – locate the context within which green roofs function. The paper then frames the scope of the first phase of the New York Ecological Infrastructure study, a project undertaken through the Earth Pledge Green Roofs Initiative. It details how the proposed investigations intersect with needs of policymakers and government agencies engaged in the process. In conclusion, an outline is given for how the NYEI study and the Earth Pledge Green Roofs Initiative can serve as a model for ecologically conscious green roof development in other cities.
The objective of this paper is to frame the context within which green, vegetated roofs can be understood as an ecologically restorative building practice and solution to certain environmental and human health problems in New York City. The paper works on the premise that due to their capacity to restore aspects of lost ecosystem function, green roofs can serve as a first step in the creation of a cost-beneficial “ecological infrastructure” of sustainable urban design, green building, and ecological restoration practices. The origins and state of current problems – stormwater runoff, urban heat island effect, and climate change – locate the context within which green roofs function. The paper then frames the scope of the first phase of the New York Ecological Infrastructure study, a project undertaken through the Earth Pledge Green Roofs Initiative. It details how the proposed investigations intersect with needs of policymakers and government agencies engaged in the process. In conclusion, an outline is given for how the NYEI study and the Earth Pledge Green Roofs Initiative can serve as a model for ecologically conscious green roof development in other cities.
Date
5/2003
5/2003
Author(s)
Colin Cheney, Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig
Colin Cheney, Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig
Page(s)
12
12
Keyword(s)
green roofs; environmental; healthy city; New York City
green roofs; environmental; healthy city; New York City