The role of green roofs in urban stormwater management
In the modern urban environment, stormwater management is an increasing challenge. In increasingly built-up areas, the natural drainage of water is hampered: concrete and asphalt pavements prevent rainfall from seeping away and run off quickly, often overloading the sewer system. The result? Flooded streets, damage and reduced groundwater levels.
The Be a Rain Saver campaign aims to raise awareness of the importance of urban stormwater management and offer solutions, such as green roofs.
What is a green roof?
A green roof is a roof surface covered with vegetation. Underneath is a layered system that provides living conditions for plants and retains water. In addition to their aesthetic and environmental benefits, green roofs are also key to managing rainwater.
How do green roofs help to conserve rainwater?
How can you be a Rainmaker?
Installing green roofs is no longer an unachievable goal. Many cities offer subsidies for their installation and the technology is becoming more affordable. If you are planning a new building or renovating your existing roof, consider installing a green roof! You can make a difference not only for the environment, but also for your own well-being.
Join the Save the Rain movement and become an active part of a more sustainable future for the city!
Green Roofs – Coming soon in Green Infrastructure Booklets
The Green Infrastructure booklets, published by the Municipality of Budapest at , aim to help professionals, decision-makers and citizens. They present a complex set of tools for green infrastructure development through national and international good practices. In addition to general principles and good examples, they include the different options for implementation, as well as their technical and plant-life conditions and constraints. The series of publications covers all major topics fro [...]
The designer who turns cities into sponges
Kongjian Yu pioneered the concept of China's "sponge city" - less concrete and more green space, harnessing rainwater instead of fighting it. The good example is being followed by many metropolises around the world. Yu was recently awarded the Oberlander Prize of the Cultural Landscape Foundation for his work on sponge cities. Is your city prepared for the effects of climate change? The classic method of treating stormwater by draining it out of the city as quickly as possible through sewe [...]
What makes a city a “sponge”? – Kiállítás és beszélgetés a következő 50 évről
Most of our buildings are designed for 50 years. Today, when we start designing a building, a district or an infrastructure, the question is whether the structure can withstand natural and social challenges that may not yet be felt. Will it still be possible to work with the same tools in 2074 as our colleagues did in 1974? "The Next 50 Years" is a series of exhibitions showcasing architectural practices that address the question of how the practice of architecture or urbanism will evolve in th [...]
Lessons from Vienna in rainwater management
Under the LIFE Urban Rainfall project, led by the Municipality of Hegyvidék, Budapest is working hard to develop a new, modern and comprehensive rainfall strategy, which it hopes will serve as a long-term guide to managing rainwater and turning the city into a sponge city. What is a sponge city? It is a fair question. On the one hand, the concept of a sponge city is a response to the problems caused by extreme rainfall due to climate change, and on the other hand, it is a modern reinterpretati [...]
A green roof is good, a blue-green roof is even better
In Amsterdam, there are 45,000 square metres of blue-green roofs that 'absorb' rainwater, allowing building occupants to use it to water plants and flush toilets, rather than immediately flushing it down the sewage system. You might visit Amsterdam for its canals, and really, who can blame you? But the really interesting waterways are not under your feet - they're above your head. Beautiful green roofs have been popping up all over the world: specially selected plants grow on structures designe [...]
Water-sensitive cities: the “From Sydenham to Bankstown” project
In 2018, the Cooperative Research Centres Program for Water Sensitive Cities in Australia supported the design process of the Sydenham to Bankstown project, which combined the latest research with local expertise to jointly develop practical ideas to address urban water challenges. The Sydenham to Bankstown corridor is a corridor defined by the Greater Sydney Commission's Greater Sydney Region Plan and Eastern City and South District Plans, which includes 11 centres along the Sydney Metro [...]
