Photo: Chuttersnap | Unsplash
The Dutch city of Rotterdam has been showcasing the potential of rooftops. The Rotterdam Rooftop Walk connects rooftops through air bridges and offers a vision for the future of cities. "Often, cities offer little space to develop more green spaces, and rooftops provide that space for plants and for biodiversity," said Leon van Geest, director of the Rotterdam Dakendagen Festival. Green rooftops can be an effective solution to urban heat islands, which are cities or specific neighborhoods within an urban area that have become much warmer than their surroundings due to absorbing and re-emitting the sun’s heat. Green rooftops can take many forms: lush gardens, potted plants, solar panels, urban farms, wildflower meadows, and community spaces painted in light colors that absorb less sunlight and can help combat heat islands. Green roofs can also help address social justice issues in low-income neighborhoods that may not have air conditioning or the funds to use their air conditioning.
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