UK: This rooftop garden is in full bloom in downtown London. Are others viable?
The City of London is considering green roofs in new zoning plan
By Michael Lacasse
CBC News
Jul 16, 2023
Excerpt:
A downtown non-profit is one of the few locations in London that’s taking advantage of an often underused urban environment to grow food — the roof.
Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU) on Richmond Street started their rooftop garden in 2017, and with only a brief pandemic pause, has been providing fresh herbs and produce to patrons visiting its café and to food-insecure youth.
“Our programming really is on food security, food consciousness and then teaching youth how to use ingredients in their diet for healthy nutritious meals,” said Nick Martin, manager of food services at the YOU Made It Café.
He said they focus on sustainable harvesting, which allows them to reuse a plant several times over the season without needing to reseed.
YOU is a social enterprise where young people can acquire skills, and find supportive housing and counselling. The café and catering service give youth customer service and food preparation training.
Rooftop gardens are growing in popularity in Canada, including in Toronto where green roofs are now mandatory for all large new buildings. It was first city in North America to implement such a bylaw.
But in London, green roofs, and especially food gardens, are still a rarity.
