CHICAGO GREEN ROOFS

Chicago the largest city in Illinois with a population of over 9.7 million people may by many be known as the gangster and mafia city, but it is also known for it's art and culture and as a green city.

The motto of Chicago is "Urbs in Horto" a Latin phrase which in English is "City in a Garden", and today the Chicago Park District consists of 552 parks.

But Chicago also has some green areas only visible from above and not normally accessible to the public.

This rooftop garden atop Chicago's City Hall, an 11-story office building in Chicago's Loop, was conceived as a demonstration project - part of the City's Urban Heat Island Initiative - to test the benefits of green roofs and how they affect temperature and air quality. First planted in 2000, the 20,300 square foot City Hall rooftop garden has 20,000 plants of more than 150 varieties. The plants were selected for their ability to thrive in the conditions on the roof, which is exposed to the sun and can be windy and arid. Most are prairie plants native to the Chicago region. In addition to the plants, numerous birdhouses and a pair of honeybee hives grace the gardens.

Like all green roofs, the City Hall rooftop garden improves air quality, conserves energy, reduces stormwater runoff and helps lessen the urban heat island effect. Over 100 municipal and private green roofs, totaling well over 1 million square feet, are either installed or in various stages of installation in Chicago.

More by Victor Zaveduk Chicago, Illinois - USA

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