Take the Community Garden to the Roof?

Monday, June 19, 2006

There's an interesting discussion going on right now, a week after the eviction of the South Central Farmers in Los Angeles: Can a community garden be built on the roof of the warehouse that's planned for the garden's former space?

(My building's roof.)

Check out today's article at Treehugger and the discussion that's going on over at sustainablog. It sounds like a fabulous idea. The landowner could have his warehouse, and the displaced farmers would get a new garden. The question is: Is it feasible?

Building a rooftop garden is apparently not quite the same as building a green roof, with all the considerations that must be given to the amount of weight bearing on the building, and the drainage, etc. But I think there are engineers who could figure this out.

Just a few weeks ago, my husband and I were talking about how great it would be if we could get rooftop gardens on buildings in D.C. -- like our apartment building, for example. Sure, it would add extra expense to building, but think of the potential benefits. Greened rooftops would help filter and cool the urban air, we'd potentially have less runoff going into the gutters and into the Chesapeake Bay (where I really want the blue crabs to survive!), and there would be a social benefit as well -- a place for people to gather and meet while tending a garden or just enjoying a green spot in the midst of concrete.

Maybe it all sounds a bit too idealistic, but... Why not? Do you think rooftop gardens would work?