Paris to Plant 80,000 Square Yards of Green Roofs and Rooftop Gardens by 2020
In mid-November, the Paris city council adopted a new Plan de Biodiversité. Among calls for an extension of the electric tramway system and improved management of the two forests that border the city, the plan includes a pledge to create seven more hectares (about 83,000 square yards) of green roofs and rooftop gardens throughout Paris.
Green roofs improve insulation (both for noise and temperature), absorb rainwater, reduce CO2 levels and add an often needed dash of green space to urban landscapes. They're not a new idea, but their benefits have been rediscovered in recent years, and designs have become more common as well as more ambitious.
Currently, Paris is home to 3.7 hectares of rooftop gardens (including the one pictured above) and green roofs. If the City makes good on its pledge, that will represent a nearly 300% increase in the space of eight years, and another feather in the cap of the capital that has taken a lot of steps to encourage its citizens to go green and walked the walk as well.