Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of green roofs on air pollution in urban Toronto. The researchers looked for synergistic effects in air pollution mitigation by manipulating quantities and species of trees and shrubs at grade level and grass on roofs within the study area. The effect of these vegetation manipulations were simulated using the Urban Forest Effects (UFORE) computer model developed by the USDA Forest Service Northeastern Regional Station, Syracuse, New York. Originally UFORE was developed to help forestry managers and researchers quantify urban forest structure and risks based on standard field, meteorological and pollution data. While UFORE contains four different assessment modules A - D, Module D quantifies the effect of vegetation on air contaminants such as NO₂, SO₂, CO, PM₁₀ and ozone. UFORE also provides data about hourly air contaminant removal rates and it predicts an economic externality value in USD for total air contaminant levels. Results of the study indicate that grass on roofs (green roofs) could play a significant role in air pollution mitigation in an urban neighbourhood. By extension, a 10-20% increase in the surface area dedicated to green roofs on downtown Toronto buildings would improve air quality and quality of life for citizens of Toronto.
Highlights
Study Background Study Hypothesis Study AssumptionsChapter~2 : Background What is a Green Roof? Green Roof Terminology A profile of Extensive and Intensive Green RoofsChapter 3:Literature Review Green Roof Research in North America Barriers to Canadian Market Development Green Roof Policy: Europe and North America Stormwater Management United States Stormwater Regulations and GreenCanadian Stormwater Research Ottawa RoofDevelopment ix hi v vii xiii xv xvii '"10 10 11 1^ 1g
This research supports the notion that further use of urban vegetation in any form would be a benefit to urban air quality [105]. Given this significant and growing body of global green roof literature, it seems obvious that green roofs contribute positively to a myriad of complex environmental problems associated with densely populated urban areas
Benefits include the reduction of ambient urban surface temperatures or urban heat island reduction, reduction in heat flux into buildings, improvements to stormwater runoff quantity and quality, protection of roof membranes, habitat restoration with species conservation and reduced building energy demand in low rise or commercial buildings, in the summer months
Summary
Use of vegetation on walls and roofs of buildings, roofs, is a common practice in the architecture of older buildings in countries like Iceland, Scandinavia, Switzerland, Germany and Tanzania. Throughout Europe, Germany, the last thirty years have produced a compliment of academic green roof research, predictable research funding and a proliferation of green roof installations. These accumulated study results have helped to formalize European municipal policy guidelines, regulations and financial incentives that today, support a thriving European green roof economy. Procedures for cover mapping from digital aerial photographs or satellite datr have been developed
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