Utrecht greens its city roofs

Utrecht greens city roofs

Every roof in the city district of Utrecht is to be ‘greened’ with plants and mosses or have solar panels installed under plans driven by the success of a similar scheme for the municipality’s bus stops. The ‘no roofs unused’ policy is part of an attempt to reinvigorate biodiversity in the city and create a less stressful and happier environment, of which the construction of a so-called ‘vertical forest tower’ with 10 000 plants on its facade is set to become a leading example. That building alone, close to Utrecht railway station, will host 360 trees and 9 640 shrubs and flowers, equal to 1 ha of woods, once it is completed in 2022. Utrecht, the fastest growing city in the Netherlands, was rated in a 2019 study by Natuur & Milieu as the most ‘sustainable’ in the country in terms of buying green electricity, its use of environmental zones, exploitation of solar power and encouragement of cycling.