Flat Rooftops as Productive Landscapes in Birmingham

Abstract

Due to the changing global environment, sustainable development has become a goal that many cities strive towards. Producing nutritious food is a component of sustainable development. The primary purpose of this paper is to assess Birmingham’s suitability for flat rooftop farming. This study explores two examples of rooftop farms: Brooklyn Grange in New York and Thammasat University, the largest rooftop farm in Asia, and they transformed the roof into a productive rooftop farm. This paper proses the tops of the buildings at Birmingham City University to be converted into a flat roof farm with an additional survey into the dietary habits of Birmingham inhabitants. With a productive landscape, one can achieve societal ideals such as urban or communal food self-sufficiency, reduce food imports, transit expenses, and consumer prices, encourage human interaction and connection, and at the same time provide diversified and healthy food.