New Study Provides First Look at Green Roof Distribution Across NYC
Sourced from Columbia Climate School
Roofs planted with vegetation — known as green roofs — can help cities adapt to a changing climate by absorbing storm water, lowering local temperatures, and providing insulation that cuts indoor heating and cooling costs. Yet green roofs cover less than 0.1% of New York City’s 1 million buildings, according to a new analysis.
Published in Ecology and Society, the paper provides the first comprehensive dataset of green roof distribution in New York City, along with insights into potential drivers of where they are, and what it might mean for the benefits they can offer. The dataset is publicly available, and can inform decisions on green roof policy in New York City.
Previous efforts to understand the locations green roofs throughout the city have been piecemeal. Thanks to data compilation and geospatial assessment by co-author Greg Yetman and colleagues from the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) at the Columbia Climate School, this study was able to fill in the gaps in the data. The analysis was based on aerial and satellite imagery collected in 2016, and relied on machine learning as well as human input to locate green roofs.
“Companies and building owners have installed green roofs in an effort to retain stormwater, but there is no central registry of these installations,” said Yetman. “Detecting the roofs from imagery was an ideal way to locate both large and small installations without having to survey building owners.”
The comprehensive dataset will help decision makers better understand who is receiving the benefits of green roofs — which, as of 2016, were concentrated in wealthier areas such as midtown and downtown Manhattan — and to track changes over time, said the study’s lead author, Mike Treglia, from The Nature Conservancy.
“This information, as well as insights on the types of buildings we see green roofs on, such as public vs. private, is ultimately invaluable in working with policymakers, advocates, and researchers to expand green roofs, particularly in areas where they are most needed,” said Treglia.
From the Living Architecture Monitor
