Blogs
Inquiry Assignment Blog Post #2
For information about the adding of rooftop gardens/ farms to cities I relied mostly on online sites and blogs. I found out that the benefits of rooftop gardens and farms does more than just add plants to an urban atmosphere. The gardens reduce stormwater runoff by retaining most of the water and returning a portion of it back to the atmosphere via evapotranspiration, they make the city more energy efficient by reducing the need for heating and cooling (in summer, they protect buildings from direct solar heat as well as they act as shade, and in winter they act as an insulator), they improve air quality through taking in more CO2, they create new habitats for multiple animals, they reduce the cost of repairs made on roofs, they create jobs as well as new space that can be used for recreational activities that was previously unusable, and they provide great psychological benefits to many people suffering from mental illnesses. There were some negative aspects to rooftop gardens/farms however. The issue were primarily financial and included: extra weight added onto a roof, the extra cost of creating a rooftop garden/farm is significantly more than a regular roof, and extra maintenance is required. However, the pros vastly outweigh the cons and I believe it is a small price to pay in order to regulate Toronto’s climate change as well as benefit the global environment.
