Chicago, Washington D.C., and Baltimore are among the cities in the U.S. with the most green roofs installed, according to an Associated Press report yesterday. Based on a study by Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, a green roof industry group, the AP reported that Chicago led the nation with more than 500,000 square feet of green roof. Washington was a distant second with 190,000 square feet, while Minneapolis, Minn., had over 100,000 square feet. Baltimore came in fourth with under 100,000 square feet. Washington has a goal of installing green roofs on 20 percent of its buildings by 2020.
The study found that green roof construction increased by 16.1 percent in 2009 despite the economic downturn. Green roofs increase building sustainability by reducing heating and cooling costs and storm water runoff, improve air quality and minimize urban heat island effect.
