The diverse goals of these green infrastructure projects include stormwater management, energy savings, biodiversity restoration, air pollution abatement, crop production, and recycling food waste through composting ( Oberndorfer et al., 2007 Berndtsson, 2010 Rowe, 2011 Ahern et al., 2014). Since the late 1990's, these constructed ecosystems have become integral components of urban “green infrastructure” projects ( Lundholm, 2015). Design approaches have even expanded to include large-scale (e.g., > 2 ha) elevated urban parks ( Figure 1B) and rooftop agriculture ( Figure 1C) ( Harada et al., 2017 Houston and Zuñiga, 2019). Major strides have been made in the practice of growing drought-tolerant succulents, grasses, and shrubs by using synthetic substrates on top of built surfaces with little or no supplemental irrigation and nutrients ( Figure 1A) ( Dunnett and Hitchmough, 2004 Dunnett and Kingsbury, 2008 Dunnett et al., 2008 Dvorak and Volder, 2010 MacIvor and Lundholm, 2011 Kotsiris et al., 2012 Nektarios et al., 2012, 2014, 2015 Ntoulas et al., 2013b Van Mechelen et al., 2015). For example, horticultural technologies support the establishment and maintenance of soil-plant systems, such as green roofs, bio-retention basins, and other green spaces constructed on built surfaces, including roofs, pavements, and street-level portions of underground structures ( Dunnett and Hitchmough, 2004 Dunnett and Clayden, 2007 Oberndorfer et al., 2007 Driscoll et al., 2015 Lundholm, 2015). Beginning in the 1990s, this recognition has led to studies of urban biogeochemical cycles, while practices of urban planning and design have applied this knowledge, and explored diverse options for restoring ecological functionality to the built environment ( Palmer et al., 2004 Kennedy et al., 2011 Pataki et al., 2011 Pickett et al., 2011). Although in concept rooftop agriculture could contribute to urban food security, water management, and biodiversity, research comparing design and management strategies across climate zones and regional economies is necessary to fully integrate ecological understanding into urban planning policy.Ĭities are recognized as having environmental footprints extending far beyond their political borders, consuming resources and producing wastes in ways that can globally impact nature and human well-being ( Vitousek et al., 1997 Alberti et al., 2003 Grimm et al., 2008). This paper outlines opportunities and challenges for advancing the science of these constructed ecosystems with particular emphasis on rooftop agriculture. Over the past 2 decades, these constructed ecosystems have expanded to include green roofs, elevated urban parks, and rooftop vegetable farms. Green infrastructure aims to make cities more resilient and less dependent on outside resource inputs through more efficient use. Urban green infrastructure includes both natural inputs and artificial supplements, including irrigation, synthetic substrates, and drainage layers. Urban Horticulture Institute, Horticulture Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States.
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