ENGINEERED GREEN ROOF SUBSTRATE
City Infrastructure Benefits
Cities across North America are benefiting from widespread green roof installations
Heat map of green roof installations across North America reported by 2019 Annual Green Roof Industry Survey by Green Roofs for Healthy Cities. This heat map indicates the size and concentration of reported green roof installations in North America, highlighting the trend of green roof installations around major metropolitan areas and highly dense regions.
Green roofs increase the life of roofs across the city, improve air quality for inhabitants, minimize strain on stormwater drainage systems, protect soils from erosion, reduce noise, and decrease the urban heat effect.
Political Support
Grants
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More municipalities are making green roofs a requirement and are adopting by-laws to promote and support green roof installations
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A variety of incentive mechanisms exist that make installing a green roof a worthwhile investment - from tax credits to the reduction of stormwater charges.
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Many organizations and businesses may benefit from grants to offset the cost of structural assessments required to determine if the installation of a green roof is viable based on the condition of the building
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Green roof installation costs can also be covered by government grants, but their amount varies by municipality and level of government
Toronto
Under the City of Toronto's Eco-Roof Incentive Program, anyone who voluntarily installs a green roof may be eligible to receive a grant of $100 / square meter installed and up to $1,000.00 for a structural assessment. More information is available here:
Toronto was the first city in North America
to introduce a green roof bylaw.
It’s a mandatory requirement that
all new development install a green roof
- Annemarie Baynton, Eco-Roof Incentive Program Manager
(City of Toronto)
Vancouver
In 2018, the Vancouver City Council passed a motion that directed staff to draft a policy to make green roofs mandatory under Vancouver's Rain City Strategy. They cited Toronto as an example in Canada and listed a large number of benefits that green roofs bring to cities, communities, individuals, and the environment. More information is available here:
Green roofs contribute to a better quality of life. They reduce the urban ‘heat island’ effect, insulate buildings from summer heat and winter cold, provide more comfortable indoor temperatures year-round, insulate buildings from noise, and improve air quality by absorbing particulates and pollutants
Along with other benefits listed previously, green roofs also make an invaluable positive impact on people's health, especially patients during recovery.
Social Impact
"Studies have demonstrated that patients who are provided at least visual access to greenery have lower blood pressure, use less pain medications and have fewer post-operative complications."
Furthermore, tests conducted on green roofs have shown that they significantly reduce indoor sound (up to 40 decibels). This creates a more calm and comfortable environment for patients, which along with the stress-reducing effect that viewing nature has on humans leads to a speedy recovery.
More information here: