To: Professor MacBride
From: Hye Min Lee
Date: February 13, 2013
Re: Research Paper Topic Proposal- Green Roof as NYC’s Adaptation to Climate Change in the Future
Topic I will be researching is green infrastructure, specifically green roofs in New York City buildings as a way of mitigating the effects of climate change in the future. I will be focusing on one effect in particular: urban heat island.
One of the major growing environmental concerns is the global temperature rise. This gradual rise in temperature especially affects urban areas like New York City, simply because there are a lot more activities going on, crowded with buildings and people. Observations have shown that temperatures in cities are higher than that of their surrounding areas, which is more commonly referred to as the urban heat island effect. I will be researching, examining, and questioning how affective green roofs would be in reducing temperature while bringing more nature into the city in the years to come. How practical would it be to plant green roofs citywide taking the cost, long-term maintenance, and safety into consideration?
I have begun my basic general search via Google. I want to first gain a greater understanding of how rapidly temperatures are rising and the gravity of the detrimental effects of the changing climates. I will be looking at several New York Times articles as well as research papers related to green roofs. Germany is one of the leaders in the world’s green roof industry so I will also be looking into their system, any difficulties, improvements its cities have experienced after green roof installation. I will also be looking at growing green roofs right here in the United States including Chicago and Washington, D.C. Mayor Bloomberg is a strong advocate of this kind of infrastructure and several green roof legislation and tax incentives have been put into place to encourage more green so I will be researching those as well.
Hye Min
This is excellent. I really like that you have narrowed your scope to the urban heat island effect. It is clear from your proposal that you have already done a lot of good ground research. A couple of suggestions:
1. try to find one example of a green roof that is high profile, that you could possibly go and tour. This will help make your research concrete.
2. you might want to try to frame your work in the context of predicted heat waves (as discussed already in our reading), and how green roofs can provide relief and shelter during future emergencies.
Don’t hesitate to let me know as questions come up!
SM
We look forward to your research & would love for you to share your findings! There are many green roofs in NYC from intensive to extensive, and some growing food on the roof too! Good luck!