Chicago City Hall boasts one of the world's most famous green roofs. As a result, the city has a reputation for being the capital of green roofs. But as architecture critic Blair Kamin notes from a bird's eye view, that's not exactly the case.
Kamin went to the observation deck of the Willis Tower, Chicago's tallest building.
"What I saw instead was this: About 10 green roofs, including a test model on the Tower's 90th floor. It's tied down with steel ropes to keep Chicago's howling winds from blowing it to the sidewalk.
That view is revealing: Ten years after Mayor Richard Daley had a lush, green roof planted atop City Hall, Chicago is North America's undisputed leader in covering roofs with vegetation. Yet the green roof movement in Chicago remains in its infancy, not only in numbers but in design quality."
However, the city's Department of the Environment says that there are about 500 green roofs either installed or in the development process right now.
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
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This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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