Silly Little Country

A Victory for Hundertwasser

Toronto is endorsing Friedensreich Hundertwasser's green roof notion.  In fact, the eccentrically brilliant Austrian artist's idea is being to a degree mandated.

As of the end of this month, all applications for residential and commercial/institutional buildings above 2,000 square metres of gross floor area will require a green roof (the bylaw will take effect for industrial buildings a year later). The coverage of the greenery will range from 20-60 per cent depending on the size of the building.

This is likely green at least in terms of the view of the buildings rooves from above, as the article points out.
Is it green in any other sense?  I sure doubt it.  It's a nice story, but I have seen NO credible analysis that suggests this will help on the 'climate change' front (the city's pretext) any more than painting one's roof white (which seems possibly somewhat pointless too). 
To me this is typical David Miller - another shambolic gesture, driving costs of activity in the city up, making a great show of virtue, and making zero real difference, other than the harm done.  Unfortunately, I think the reason he is mayor is that people in Toronto like such shambolic gestures.  It's all at best aesthetic, and done only to cause everyone involved to view himself or herself as virtuous.
As for Hundertwasser, this is all posthumous, so he cannot care much.

posted by Alan Adamson @ 8:10 AM