Perception of green roofs in the media

The visibility of green roofs in media has a great impact on how the public views them and how appealing and realistic they appear to them as an everyday part of life. The more they appear, the more we as regular people feel comfortable with them. It is often hard to grow past ...

FIGHTING DROUGHT – Responsible water management in arid places

There is no unique definition of drought, as we can distinguish between meteorological, agricultural, hydrological, and socio-economic droughts, depending on its effects. We will mainly be focusing on meteorological drought, which is caused by weather events and can be defined ...

URBAN AGRICULTURE - A path to sustainable and self-sufficient cities

The developed world is facing a potential food production crisis as the urban population has already exceeded the rural population. According to estimations, by 2050 only one third of the global population (34%) will be rural, and the remaining two thirds will be urban. This is ...

A GREENER EUROPE! Green infrastructure in the light of new European environmental directives

In recent years, with ever more apparent climate change and extreme weather phenomena, policy makers have come to recognise the need for change and a clear plan of action to dissuade at least some of the consequences of irresponsible human actions of the past. The values of ...

GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRAFFIC – How to incorporate green solutions on roads, railways and highways

Due to the effects of world-wide urbanization trends, the number of human populations exposed to traffic emissions and high-volume railways is rising. Transit-oriented development brings traffic activity ever closer to people’s residences, making them susceptible the effects of ...

URBAN LANDSCAPING – Why greener cities are cooler, smarter and healthier

A recent study of Glasgow by researchers Emmanuel and Loconsole advocated that an increase in greenspace of 20% above the current level could eliminate between a third and a half of the city's expected urban heat island effect in 2050. (1) But why do we need to take action in ...

TACKLING THE URBAN WATER CRISIS WITH GREEN ROOFS

Safe water, water use and access to water are critical global concerns and today has been designated United Nations World Water Day to highlight the water crisis facing billions of people who are “struggling to survive and thrive”.

Green roofs are changing the way we design buildings - an architectural overview

It's not surprising that green roofs are becoming more and more popular as a design tool of many forward-thinking architects, keeping buildings cool in the summer and warm and cozy in the winter. They are also beneficial when it comes to reducing the urban heat island effect ...

A new home: Green roofs facilitating habitat restoration

Urbanization is a leading cause of species endangerment in today's world. Trends indicate a decrease in species richness and diversity as well as a high degree of biotic homogenization. In short, the number of different species in our environment is falling rapidly with the ...

How implementation of green infrastructure will help Europe reach carbon neutrality

A new European Commission strategic long-term vision communication has highlighted the importance of investing in green infrastructure to guide the transition to a climate neutral Europe.