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| three_options [2008-04-01 11:00] – sanjeev | three_options_for_rooftop_gardens [2008-04-01 14:13] – sanjeev | ||
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| === Urban Permaculture: | === Urban Permaculture: | ||
| - | These notes form a part of [[sanjeev shankar]]'s research, which is summarised in his [[research_report_sanjeev-shankar|research report]] | + | These notes form a part of [[sanjeev_shankar]]'s research, which is summarised in his [[research_report_sanjeev-shankar|research report]] |
| The first option for rooftop gardening is container gardening, a less formal, highly flexible, cheaper form of roof gardening which is commonly seen in cities worldwide. In container gardening, few to no modifications are made to the existing roof structure; containers – anything from plastic swimming pools to recycled-wood planters – are placed on a rooftop and filled with the desired soil type and plants. One of the problems here is the soil in rooftop containers might thaw on a warm winter day. Further roof container gardens dry out quickly and often require daily watering unless a mulch cover such as straw, wood chips or even a sub-soil layer of newspapers and compost is used to slow down evaporation. Also, in places with extreme climate, the container material must be carefully considered. | The first option for rooftop gardening is container gardening, a less formal, highly flexible, cheaper form of roof gardening which is commonly seen in cities worldwide. In container gardening, few to no modifications are made to the existing roof structure; containers – anything from plastic swimming pools to recycled-wood planters – are placed on a rooftop and filled with the desired soil type and plants. One of the problems here is the soil in rooftop containers might thaw on a warm winter day. Further roof container gardens dry out quickly and often require daily watering unless a mulch cover such as straw, wood chips or even a sub-soil layer of newspapers and compost is used to slow down evaporation. Also, in places with extreme climate, the container material must be carefully considered. | ||
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| Some interesting developments: | Some interesting developments: | ||
| - | * In Switzerland and parts of Germany, this kind of mental shift – resulting in imagining buildings as displacing and not destroying land surface – has become federal law: developers must either improve the biodiversity of existing land, or transfer the green space that they displace to their rooftop or other building surface. | + | |
| - | * Rooftop gardens are a billion dollar industry in Germany | + | * Rooftop gardens are a billion dollar industry in Germany |
| - | * One clause of the Russian law states that authorities are obliged to help gardening associations with roads construction and repair, as well as water drainage and supply. | + | * One clause of the Russian law states that authorities are obliged to help gardening associations with roads construction and repair, as well as water drainage and supply. |
| - | * Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright, both used roof gardens extensively in their architecture | + | * Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright, both used roof gardens extensively in their architecture |
| - | * New York has established a green roof task force, which is exploring direct government support of green roofs, including tax credits and other | + | * New York has established a green roof task force, which is exploring direct government support of green roofs, including tax credits and other incentives |
| - | incentives. | + | * The Earth Pledge Foundation in New York strives to address sustainability at the local level – its programs include the Green Roof Initiative, which encourages initiatives to green New York City’s rooftops, and the Waste=Fuel program, |
| - | * The Earth Pledge Foundation in New York strives to address sustainability at the local level – its programs include the Green Roof Initiative, which encourages initiatives to green New York City’s rooftops, and the Waste=Fuel program, | + | * Hydroponics is found to be way too complex and expensive in lot of eastern countries and some of african countries too. In these places, roof gardens build out of local materials are most suitable. They are repair and maintained by the communities themselves. This is seen in places like India, St. Petersburg and Senegal. Infact, in Senegal people have devised a local solution using bricks and wooden box beds. In India too, the use of locally available cheap materials to create roof gardens is most successful. The “Doshi System” is offered as the most suitable method. It uses sugarcane stalks, collected from sugarcane juice vendors outside of his house, as biomass. This is lightweight, |
| - | * Hydroponics is found to be way too complex and expensive in lot of eastern countries and some of african countries too. In these places, roof gardens build out of local materials are most suitable. They are repair and maintained by the communities themselves. This is seen in places like India, St. Petersburg and Senegal. Infact, in Senegal people have devised a local solution using bricks and wooden box beds. In India too, the use of locally available cheap materials to create roof gardens is most successful. The “Doshi System” is offered as the most suitable method. It uses sugarcane stalks, collected from sugarcane juice vendors outside of his house, as biomass. This is lightweight, | + | |
| The most significant challenges facing roof top gardens in all its forms are issues of access and roof load capacity. These barriers are especially problematic in liability-obsessed countries like the United States, although concerns for safety and building protection are certainly valid. Lack of | The most significant challenges facing roof top gardens in all its forms are issues of access and roof load capacity. These barriers are especially problematic in liability-obsessed countries like the United States, although concerns for safety and building protection are certainly valid. Lack of | ||
| knowledge or incentives, funding, water supply, safety, and the harshness of rooftop environments are also major barriers. Still, rooftop agriculture is slowly becoming more common, particularly in the developing world, where rooftop food production may have a significant impact on food security and income, solutions are creative and site-specific, | knowledge or incentives, funding, water supply, safety, and the harshness of rooftop environments are also major barriers. Still, rooftop agriculture is slowly becoming more common, particularly in the developing world, where rooftop food production may have a significant impact on food security and income, solutions are creative and site-specific, | ||
| - | For more details and case studies about rooftop gardens around the world, please click on the link below. This is a senior honors thesis from Cornell University. {{:roofgarden_thesis.pdf|}} | + | For more details and case studies about rooftop gardens around the world, please click on the documents |
| + | * {{: | ||
| + | * {{:roof_top_permaculture.pdf|}} | ||
| Other important links: | Other important links: | ||
| - | * http:// | + | |
| - | * http:// | + | * http:// |
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