actually, this post has absolutely nothing to do with babylon… but i liked the mental image.

There is so much space atop urban structures that is flat (apart from duct-work) and wasted. just look at google maps and you’ll see what i’m talking about. i say cover the rooftops with green space. put grass on top of the buildings and open the roofs to the employees… or even to the public. change rooftops from a place to put utilities into a place to escape and get back to nature… without having to leave the city. and not just grass, but gardens, and trees… ESPECIALLY TREES! cities: where smog and pollution grows and festers and poisons. trees clean and put oxygen into the air. what about watering the foliage, you say? what about it, i say. dedicate a portion of each rooftop for rainwater collection systems. with urban areas covered mostly in concrete, metal, and asphalt, rainwater which should go into the ground can only go into the storm-water run-off systems, which are insufficient and only add more pollutants (litter) to the ecosystem. by using rainwater collection to supply water to the rooftop green spaces you can curb the pollution from storm-water run-off and simultaneously clean the city air. 21 months ago