Green is the new Black for NYC Buildings
New York City rooftops are getting a makeover to combat the urban heat island effect, a phenomenon where an urban area is hotter than the surrounding rural areas. Wide spread use of impermeable surfaces that absorb heat such as grey concrete sidewalks, black asphalt roads and roofs are the biggest contributor to the increased temperatures in cities.
As part of the Green Roofs Act, New York City is requiring all new residential and commercial buildings in the city to have either a green roof, solar panels, mini-wind turbines, or a combination of the three. Green roofs have proven to be effective in mitigating the urban heat island effects by reducing energy usage of buildings, improving air quality, and increasing biodiversity. While this act is a step in the right direction to solve the problem of urban heat island effect, New York City can do more by identifying and installing green roofs on older buildings as well.
By using satellite imagery with GIS, planners and city officials can collect information about all the roofs in New York City and visually identify what buildings lack green roofs. This visualization can be considered with heat maps showing the temperatures experienced across New York City to identify what buildings or neighborhoods would benefit most from a green roof installation. Big data and visualization are tools that can be used to increase the implementation of green roofs on older buildings to improve the lives of New Yorkers while continuing to combat climate change.
https://www.dwell.com/article/new-york-city-requires-green-roofs-on-new-buildings-ede4deb8
