Green and Brown Roofs Explored from an Eco-aesthetics Perspective

Urban areas are in the need for greenery and nature but often cannot find space for this. Empty roofs offer the perfect solution, as they can have nature roofs installed on them. Nature roofs can either be brown or green roofs, with both having an important role for urban nature. They are a sustainable and easily achievable infrastructure, especially suitable for cities and even supported by Dutch municipalities through subsidies. Still, there is only a miniscule amount of nature roofs installed in the Randstad area, which implies that they are not promoted efficiently. Current literature mainly focuses on ecological benefits such as water retention and heat mitigation. Hereby the visual looks are not explored, leaving out the possibility of finding an aesthetic value in nature roofs. This research investigates how this aesthetic value is presented in discourse around brown and green roofs and used like an eco-aesthetic strategy. This was done for both nature roof companies and...Show moreUrban areas are in the need for greenery and nature but often cannot find space for this. Empty roofs offer the perfect solution, as they can have nature roofs installed on them. Nature roofs can either be brown or green roofs, with both having an important role for urban nature. They are a sustainable and easily achievable infrastructure, especially suitable for cities and even supported by Dutch municipalities through subsidies. Still, there is only a miniscule amount of nature roofs installed in the Randstad area, which implies that they are not promoted efficiently. Current literature mainly focuses on ecological benefits such as water retention and heat mitigation. Hereby the visual looks are not explored, leaving out the possibility of finding an aesthetic value in nature roofs. This research investigates how this aesthetic value is presented in discourse around brown and green roofs and used like an eco-aesthetic strategy. This was done for both nature roof companies and municipalities, all operating in the Randstad area. The results of close reading and interviews showed that brown roofs are not represented at all and that there is a lack of importance assigned to the visual quality of green roofs. If mentioned, it is mostly done so as an afterthought. This shows an opportunity for improvement of the marketing and promotion of nature roofs.Show less

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Green and Brown Roofs Explored from an Eco-aesthetics Perspective