HEALTH AND SOCIAL BENEFITS OF GREEN ROOFS

this scheme.

Lastly, through The Mayor of London’s future scheme towards a Green Infrastructure, all the parks, trees, gardens, wet/woodlands and green roofs will be brought together and regulated to promote healthier living through granting areas for physical activity and relaxation51 .

At a time of increasing urban industrialisation and global warming, green roofs and walls are integral to contributing to greener, denser cities, especially in areas with a deficiency in green spaces. The green plantation will help cool the city during hotter summers and improve storm water attenuation through absorption, therefore excluding expensive underground drainage infrastructure and cutting the chances of localised flooding. Furthermore, the use of vegetation on building roofs also mitigates the negative thermal effects of conventional roofing surfaces through the cooling effect of evapotranspiration. There is also evidence that living roofs are adaptable to climate change and can be used to replicate urban (brownfield) and non-urban natural ecosystems.

HEALTH AND SOCIAL BENEFITS OF GREEN ROOF GARDENS

Roof gardens cannot thrive or promote biophilia without the

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help of biophilic individuals as Naomi M. Jacobs discussed in Chapter 1. So, with help from the commoners, the garden can be manipulated and enhanced to fit into the cityscape whilst restoring the link between the garden users and nature, whether they decide to plant flora, house fauna or grow food on the roof gardens. Stavros Stavrides also explains that outdoor common spaces create new forms of social life, forms of life-in-common and strengthens the community cohesion bond in addition to producing or distributing goods52 .

The Mayor of London supports biophilia due to research demonstrating that exposure to nature and observation of vegetation promotes mental health. To prove this, a study of 150 students has shown that observing green roofs can boost concentration levels by 6% whilst observing bare concrete will lessen concentration levels by 8%53. Furthermore, besides the benefits discussed in Chapter 1- Biophilia, Biophilic Design and Biophilic Architecture, other research has shown that over 30 minutes of exposure to nature each week reduces the likelihood of high blood pressure and depression54; it is a utopian escape from the plagued society. It is also vital that these spaces are easily accessible and located where private gardens are abundant55 .

Extensive green roofs, whilst in indirect contact with humans, are equally as beneficial for one’s health and well-being by intercepting allergy-causing pollutants, thus improving the quality of air and removing those that cause heart and respiratory conditions. Also, noise pollution is reduced to allow tranquillity which is especially important in dense cities where green spaces may be inaccessible.

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RE-IMAGINING COVENT GARDEN (ORIGINAL IMAGE BY MILSTEIN, N.D., EDITED BY AUTHOR)