There are many benefits of a rooftop garden beyond the fact that they can be quiet retreats. They add another dimension of green space to an urban scape without taking up an extensive area of land in densely populated places. In some European countries such as Switzerland, bylaws have been passed that new buildings must be designed to relocate the greenspace covered by the building to their roofs. Existing buildings must also comply with the bylaw by greening at least 20% of their rooftops.

These relatively simple changes to rooftops can greatly benefit our urban areas. Here are some examples of the advantages of rooftop gardens:

• Green roofs can help in the absorption of carbon dioxide and help reduce air pollution

• Storm water runoff, flooding and water pollution can be reduced

• The building and surrounding area’s aesthetics will be enhanced and property value could be increased

• Economically, there are no additional land costs

• Temperatures around the building can be lowered in the summer

• A building can be further insulated from the cold in the winter

• The roof life can be extended by protecting it from various weather conditions

• Heating and cooling bills will be reduced

• The rooftop garden space can be used for food production

The above picture and text are from www.foodshare.net

-NYC

    If there is no access to land, rooftop agriculture is a great way to "get your hands dirty". You can create very elaborate garden designs that can encompass a whole rooftop or something simple like planting leaf lettuces and spinach in planting pot on a balcony.

Here is a link to a project in Chicago:

http://www.urbanhabitatchicago.org/projects/true-nature-foods/