The rooftop of the Metro Baptist Church in Hell’s Kitchen has just celebrated it’s first harvest of fruits and vegetables, using kiddie pools as an innovative means to pursue urban agriculture in New York City. For more information check out Inhabitat New York City’s article.
Over 23,000 people attended Greenbuild this year in Toronto, the first time the U.S. Green Building Council’s annual conference and tradeshow took place outside of the US. After long discussions with the USGBC, this year also marked the first time there was a dedicated research track that included research and talks on the link between … Continue reading
Recently I was invited to speak with four other leading green roof practitioners and researchers at Grow West’s annual Green Roof Symposium. The symposium is a great place to hear leading green roof experts and interact with researchers, practitioners, and industry. Other speakers included: Dusty Gedge, President, European Federation of Green Roof Associations Paul Kephart, … Continue reading
I was recently profiled as the Fulbrighter of the month for my work on green roofs and health and my mentorship of two new Fulbrighters. See the profile here.
The Cities Alive conference in Vancouver this past December was a huge success. At this conference I presented some findings from my research on health and green buildings, namely the impact of visual access to green roofs and concentration. The paper forms part of the proceedings and will be available here. The website for the … Continue reading
There has been increasing discussion in some cities about the possibilities for urban agriculture on green roofs. Toronto, Vancouver, New York and Chicago all have food-producing green roofs, and London is starting two pilot projects. You can find out more about these roofs here.
Our Green Home recently published a short article in which I discuss some of the results of my doctoral research on the relationship between green roofs and mental health. The article also discussed some aesthetic considerations for those considering green roof design and mental health. For the article click here.
There is increasing interest in understanding people’s perceptions and awareness of green roofs as the social-psychological benefits are beginning to be explored. Here are some recent articles on perceptions of green roofs for those interested in learning more. Calkins, M. (2005) Strategy use and challenges of ecological design in landscape architecture. Landscape and Urban Planning, … Continue reading
On April 7th the the World Health Organizations’ World Health Day will focus on urbanization and health. The campaign encourages cities to “open public spaces to health,” such as clean up or urban park activities. Leading examples from cities across the world will be featured in their “1000 cities- 1000 lives” campaign, and cities can … Continue reading
In May 2009 Toronto became the first city in North America to require green roofs on all major new developments. Though in the works for three years, the new green roof being constructed at the Eglinton West subway station will be the first green roof on top of a subway. Constructed by Gardens in the … Continue reading
