Green Roofs in Germany - Facts and Figures

The tradition of Green Roofs in Germany goes back till the early 1980s. However only a few German cities have accurate data about the number and location of already existing Green Roofs. Munich for example has more than 3 million m2 of Green Roofs. This is approx. the same size as the famous “Englische Garten” in Munich, one of the largest urban parks in the world. Stuttgart (1.21 million m2) and Hamburg (1.25 millon m2) have already passed the million m2 barrier; Düsseldorf (871,000 m2) is just about to reach this threshold.

In a successfully completed research project the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the German Roof Gardener Association (Deutscher Dachgaertner Verband) developed a method with which already existing Green Roofs and potential roof areas can be identified and inventoried from a “birds-eye view”. The new method combines high resolution satellite or airborne optical imagery, Digital Surface Models and building outlines maps (footprints), to estimate the percentage of vegetated areas on the roofs. The software has the potential to be used on a national or international scale, if the necessary input data are available. For more information please contact the IGRA office ([email protected]).

https://www.igra-world.com/images/news_and_events/IGRA_Green_Roof_Remote_Sensing.pdf