Exploring the benefits of urban green roofs : a GIS approach applied to a Greek city

The loss of free and green spaces and their associated advantages for the urban population is a major threat for urban sustainability. The idea of planting roofs in order for them to act as natural filters within the urban tissue has been increasingly recognized as a technology that has the potential to diminish drastically the environmental problems of urban centers. In many countries, special laws are introduced which provide citizens with incentives or even involve an obligation to build green roofs. The objective of the research presented herein is to investigate and record the impact of the use of green roofs for the development of urban policies which aim at improving the quality of urban environment, using a combination of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) technology and specialized software. The developed methodological framework is applied to a real-world case study of a medium - sized Greek city. The use of a comprehensive GIS environment not only contributes to improving the quality of research but also offers the possibility of continuous updated information and monitoring of the factors that influence the development of green roof policies.