Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-kw2vx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-13T13:34:45.057Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The role of green roof technology in urban agriculture

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 August 2011

Leigh J. Whittinghill  and
D. Bradley Rowe
Leigh J. Whittinghill*
Affiliation:
Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, A224 Plant and Soil Sciences Building, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
D. Bradley Rowe
Affiliation:
Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, A212 Plant and Soil Sciences Building, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
*
*Corresponding author: whitti18@msu.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Urban agriculture is a global and growing pursuit that can contribute to economic development, job creation, food security and community building. It can, however, be limited by competition for space with other forms of urban development, a lack of formalized land use rights and health hazards related to food contamination. The use of green roof technology in urban agriculture has the potential to alleviate some of these problems, without adversely affecting the benefits provided by urban agriculture. It would not only enable the use of land for development and agriculture, but may also facilitate the formation of formal space and water use agreements, and enable redistribution of ground-level resources among urban farmers. This could decrease the use of contaminated land and water at ground level and alleviate health concerns. Before green roof technology can be incorporated into urban agriculture on a larger scale, installation costs must be reduced, roof weight limitations should be assessed, and appropriate management practices should be developed which will ensure that the benefits of green roofs, such as energy savings and storm water management, are still provided to urban communities.

Keywords

Eco-rooflocal food productionvegetated roofvegetablescommunity garden
Type
Review Article
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 27 , Issue 4 , December 2012 , pp. 314 - 322
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1Nowak, D.J. 2006. Institutionalizing urban forestry as a ‘biotechnology’ to improve environmental quality. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening 5:93–100.Google Scholar
2Nugent, R. 2002. The impact of urban agriculture on the household and local economies. RUAF Foundation International Workshop of Urban Agriculture: Growing Cities, Growing Food. Available at Web site http://www.ruaf.org.index.php?q=node/57 (accessed January 31, 2009).Google Scholar
3de Zeeuw, H., Guendel, S., and Waibel, H. 1999. The integration of agriculture in urban policies. RUAF Foundation International Workship on Urban Agriculture: Growing Cities, Growing Food- Urban agriculture on the policy agenda. Available at Web site http://www.ruad.org/index.php?q=node/62 (accessed January 31, 2009).Google Scholar
4Cheney, C. 2005. New York City: Greening Gotham's Rooftops. In Arpels, M., Chrisman, S., Sommerfield, H., Towers, J., Berkowitz, E., Brainard, G., and Hickey, L. (eds). Green Roofs: Ecological Design and Construction by Earthpledge. Schiffer Books, Atglen, PA. p. 130–133.Google Scholar
5City of Chicago, Department of Community Development. 2006. Green roof improvement fund. Available at Web site http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city/webportal/portalEntityHomeAction.do?entityName=Planning + And + Development&entityNameEnumValue=32 (accessed April 1, 2009).Google Scholar
6City of Portland, Environmental Services. 2009. Ecoroof incentive program. Available at Website http://www.portlandonline.com/bes/index.cfm?c=44422& (accessed April 1, 2009).Google Scholar
7Kula, R. 2005. Green roofs and the LEEDTM green building rating system. In Proceedings of Third North American Green Roof Conference: Greening Rooftops for sustainable communities, Washington, DC, May 4-6, 2005. The Cardinal Group, Toronto, p. 141–153.Google Scholar
8Liptan, T. 2005. Portland: A new kind of stormwater management. In Arpels, M., Chrisman, S., Sommerfield, H., Towers, J., Berkowitz, E., Brainard, G., and Hickey, L. (eds). Green Roofs: Ecological Design and Construction by Earthpledge. Schiffer Books, Atglen, PA.Google Scholar
9Getter, K.L. and Rowe, D.B. 2006. The role of extensive green roofs in sustainable development. HortScience 41(5):1276–1285.Google Scholar
10Dvorak, B. and Volder, A. 2010. Green roof vegetation for North American ecoregions: A literature review. Landscape and Urban Planning 96:197–213.Google Scholar
11Getter, K.L. and Rowe, D.B. 2009. Substrate depth influences sedum plant community on a green roof. HortScience 44(2):401–407.Google Scholar
12Rowe, D.B., Monterusso, M.A., and Rugh, C.L. 2006. Assessment of heat-expanded slate and fertility requirements in green roof substrates. HortTechnology 16(3):471–477.Google Scholar
13Getter, K.L., Rowe, D.B., and Cregg, B.M. 2009. Solar radiation intensity influences extensive green roof plant communities. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening 8(4):269–281.Google Scholar
14Durhman, A.K., Rowe, D.B., and Rugh, C.L. 2006. Effect of watering regimen on chlorophyll fluorescence and growth of selected green roof plant taxa. HortScience 41:1623–1628.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
15Emilsson, T. 2008. Vegetation development on extensive vegetated green roofs: Influence of substrate composition, establishment method and species mix. Ecological Engineering 33:265–277.Google Scholar
16Monterusso, M.A., Rowe, D.B., and Rugh, C.L. 2005. Establishment and persistence of Sedum spp. and native taxa for green roof applications. HortScience 40(2):391–396.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
17Alexandri, E and Jones, P. 2008. Temperature decreases in an urban canyon due to green walls and green roofs in diverse climates. Building and Environment 43:480–493.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
18Barrio, E.P.D. 1998. Analysis of green roofs cooling potential in buildings. Energy and Buildings 27:179–193.Google Scholar
19Berndtsson, J.C. 2010. Green roof performance towards management of runoff water quantity and quality: A review. Ecological Engineering 36:351–360.Google Scholar
20Carter, T. and Jackson, C.R. 2007. Vegetated roofs for stormwater management at multiple spatial scales. Landscape and Urban Planning 80:84–94.Google Scholar
21Getter, K.L., Rowe, D.B., and Andresen, J.A. 2007. Quantifying the effect of slope on extensive green roof stormwater retention. Ecological Engineering 31:225–231.Google Scholar
22Loder, A. and Peck, S.W. 2004. Green roofs’ contribution to smart growth implementation. In Proceedings of 2nd North American Green Roof Conference: Greening rooftops for sustainable communities, Portland, OR, June 2-4, 2004. The Cardinal Group, Toronto, p. 8–24.Google Scholar
23Rowe, D.B. 2011. Green roofs as a means of pollution abatement. Environmental Pollution 159(8–9):2100–2110.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
24Saiz, S., Kennedy, C., Bass, B., and Pressnail, K. 2006. Comparative life cycle assessment of standard and green roofs. Environmental Science Technology 40(13):4312–4316.Google Scholar
25VanWoert, N.D., Rowe, D.B., Andresen, J.A., Rugh, C.L., Fernandez, R.T., and Xiao, L. 2005a. Green roof stormwater retention: Effects of roof surface, slope, and media depth. Journal of Environmental Quality 34:1036–1044.Google Scholar
26Wong, N.H., Tay, S.F., Wong, R., Ong, C.L., and Sai, A. 2003. Life cycle cost analysis of rooftop gardens in Singapore. Building and Environment 38:499–509.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
27Bass, B., Krayenhoff, E.S., Martilli, A., Stull, R.B., and Auld, H. 2003. The impact of green roofs on Toronto's urban heat island. In Proceedings 1st North American Green Roof Conference: Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities, Chicago, IL, May 29-30, 2003. The Cardinal Group, Toronto.Google Scholar
28Fang, C.-F. 2008. Evaluating the thermal reduction effect of plant layers on rooftops. Energy and Buildings 40:1048–1052.Google Scholar
29Sailor, D.J. 2008. A green roof model for building energy simulation programs. Energy and Buildings 40:1466–1478.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
30Santamouris, M., Pavlou, C., Doukas, P., Mihalakakou, G., Synnefa, A., Hatzibiros, A., and Patargias, P. 2007. Investigating and analyzing the energy and environmental performance of an experimental green roof system installed in a nursery school building in Athens, Greece. Energy 32:1781–1788.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
31Wong, N.H., Tay, S.F., and Chen, Y. 2007. Study of thermal performance of extensive rooftop greenery systems in the tropical climate. Building and Environment 42:25–54.Google Scholar
32Harlan, S.L., Brazel, A.J., Prashad, L., Stefanov, W.L., and Larsen, L. 2006. Neighborhood microclimates and vulnerability to heat stress. Social Science and Medicine 63:2847–2863.Google Scholar
33Johnson, D.P. and Wilson, J.S. 2009. The socio-spatial dynamics of extreme urban heat events: The case of heat-related deaths in Philadelphia. Applied Geography 29:419–434.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
34Memon, R.A., Leung, D.Y.C., and Chunho, L. 2008. A review on the generation, determination and mitigation of Urban Heat Island. Journal of Environmental Sciences 20:120–128.Google ScholarPubMed
35Arpels, M., Chrisman, S., Sommerfield, H., Towers, J., Berkowitz, E., Brainard, G., and Hickey, L. 2005. Building case studies. In Arpels, M., Chrisman, S., Sommerfield, H., Towers, J., Berkowitz, E., Brainard, G., and Hickey, L. (eds). Green Roofs: Ecological Design and Construction by Earthpledge. Schiffer Books, Atglen, PA. p. 24–102.Google Scholar
36Enete, A.A. and Achike, A.I. 2008. Urban agriculture and urban food insecurity poverty in Nigeria: The case of Ohafia, south-east Nigeria. Outlook on Agriculture 37(2):131–134.Google Scholar
37Graefe, S., Schlecht, E., and Buerkert, A. 2009. Opportunities and challenges of urban and peri-urban agriculture in Niamey, Niger. Outlook on Agriculture 37(1):47–56.Google Scholar
38Vagneron, I. 2007. Economic appraisal of profitability and sustainability of peri-urban agriculture in Bangkok. Ecological Economics 61:516–529.Google Scholar
39van Averbeke, W. 2007. Urban farming in the informal settlements of Atteridgeville Pretoria, South Africa. Water SA 33(3):337–342.Google Scholar
40Hu, X. and Ding, Z. 2009. Lead/cadmium contamination and lead isotopic ratios in vegetables grown in peri-urban and mining/smelting contaminated sites in Nanjing, China. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 82:80–84.Google Scholar
41Peters, C.J., Bills, N.L., Lembo, A.J., Wilkins, J.L., and Fick, G.W. 2009. Mapping potential foodsheds in New York State: A spatial model for evaluating the capacity to localize food production. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 24(1):72–84.Google Scholar
42Agbenin, J.O., Danko, M., and Welp, G. 2009. Soil and vegetable compositional relationships of eight potentially toxic metals in urban garden fields from northern Nigeria. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 89:49–54.Google Scholar
43Thornton, A. 2009. Pastures of plenty?: Land rights and community-based agriculture in Peddie, a former homeland town in South Africa. Applied Geography 29:12–20.Google Scholar
44Widome, R., Neumark-Sztainer, D., Hannah, P.J., Haines, J., and Story, M. 2009. Eating when there is not enough to eat: Eating behaviors and perceptions of food among food-insecure youths. Research and Practice 99(5):822–828.Google Scholar
45King, J. 2004. Multnomah County's green roof project: A case study. In Proceedings of 2nd North American Green Roof Conference: Greening rooftops for sustainable communities, Portland, OR, June 2-4, 2004. The Cardinal Group, Toronto.Google Scholar
46Coffman, R.R. and Martin, J.F. 2004. The sustainability of an agricultural roof garden. In Proceedings 2nd North American Green Roof Conference: Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities, Portland, OR, June 2-4, 2004. The Cardinal Group, Toronto.Google Scholar
47Blyth, A. and Menagh, L. 2006 From rooftop to restaurant – A university café fed by a rooftop garden. City Farmer, Canada's Office of Urban Agriculture. Available at Web site http://www.cityfarmer.org/TrentRoof.html (accessed April 19, 2010).Google Scholar
48Rowe, D.B. and Getter, K.L. 2010. Green roofs and roof gardens. In Aitkenhead-Peterson, J. and Volder, A. (eds). Urban Ecosystems Ecology. Agronomy Monograph 55. American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society of America, Madison, WI. p. 391–412.Google Scholar
49Kortright, R. 2001. Evaluating the potential of green roof agriculture. Urban Agriculture Notes. City Farmer, Canada's Office of Urban Agriculture. Available at Web site http://www.cityfarmer.org/greenpotential.html (accessed December 21, 2010).Google Scholar
50Dillion, R.M. 2010 Urban gardeners versus zoning laws. Associated Press February 16, 2010. Available at Web site http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Gardening/2010/0216/Urban-gardeners-versus-zoning-laws (accessed April 15, 2010).Google Scholar
51Sutton, S. 2009. City in the sky: Harnessing the potential of urban rooftops. Presentation at the 7th North American Green Roof Conference: Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities, Atlanta, GA, June 3-5, 2009.Google Scholar
52UNDESA. 2007. World urbanizations prospects, 2007 Edition. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) Population Division – Population estimates and projections section. Available at Web sitehttp://www.un.org/esa/population/unpop.htm (accessed September 29, 2009).Google Scholar
53U.S. Census Bureau (USCB). 2009. International data base: Total midyear population for the world: 1950–2050. Available at Web site http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idb/worldpop.php (accessed October 3, 2009).Google Scholar
54Zhuang, P., McBride, M.B., Xia, H., Li, N., and Li, Z. 2009. Health risk from heavy metals via consumption of food crops in the vicinity of Dabaoshan mine, South China. Science of the Total Environment 407:1551–1561.Google Scholar
55Srinivas, N., Rao, S.R., and Kumar, K.S. 2009. Trace metal accumulation in vegetables grown in industrial and semi-urban areas: A case study. Applied Ecology and Environmental Research 7(2):131–139.Google Scholar
56Sharma, R.K., Agrawal, M., and Marshall, F.M. 2009. Heavy metals in vegetables collected from production and market sites of a tropical urban area of India. Food and Chemical Toxicology 47:583–591.Google Scholar
57Voutsa, D., Grimanis, A., and Samara, C. 1996. Trace elements in vegetables grown in an industrial area in relation to soil and air particulate matter. Environmental Pollution 94(3):325–334.Google Scholar
58Yang, Y., Zhang, F.S., Li, H.F., and Jiang, R.F. 2009. Accumulation of cadmium in the edible parts of six vegetable species grown in Cd-contaminated soils. Journal of Environmental Management 90:1117–1122.Google Scholar
59Arora, M., Kiran, B., Rani, S., Rani, A., Kaur, B., and Mittal, N. 2008. Heavy metal accumulation in vegetables irrigated with water from different sources. Food Chemistry 111:811–815.Google Scholar
60Chimbira, C. and Moyo, D.Z. 2009 The effect of single and mixed treatment of lead and cadmium on soil bioavailability and yield of Brassica napus irrigated with sewage effluent: A potential human risk. African Journal of Agricultural Research 4(4):359–364.Google Scholar
61Emilsson, T., Czerniel Berndtsson, J., Mattsson, J.E., and Rolf, K. 2007. Effect of using conventional and controlled release fertilizer on nutrient runoff from various vegetated roof systems. Ecological Engineering 29:260–271.Google Scholar
62Berndtsson, J.C., Emilsson, T., and Bengtsson, L. 2006. The influence of extensive vegetated roofs on runoff water quality. Science of the Total Environment 355:48–63.Google Scholar
63FLL (Forschungsgesellschaft Landschaftsentwicklung Landschaftsbau). 1995. Guidelines for the Planning, Execution and Upkeep of Green-Roof Sites. Forschungsgesellschaft Landschaftsentwicklung Landschaftsbau, Bonn, Germany.Google Scholar
64Hathaway, A.M., Hunt, W.F., and Jennings, G.D. 2008. A field study of green roof hydrologic and water quality performance. Transactions of American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers 51(1):37–44.Google Scholar
65U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2009. Green roofs for stormwater runoff control. EPA-600-R-09-026. USEPA, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
66Heilman, J.L., McInnes, K.J., Gesh, R.W., Lanscano, R.J., and Savage, M.J. 1996. Effects of trellising on the energy balance of a vineyard. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 81:79–93.Google Scholar