Originally published 2019-07-18.
Hundreds of Dutch bus stops are getting green, eco-friendly makeovers so they can be turned into lush green sanctuaries for honeybees and humans too.
All 316 bus stops in Utrecht are receiving rooftops covered in sedum plants. Not only are the succulents good for improving air quality, but they are also useful for helping to support dwindling pollinator populations.
Succulents are good for storing rainwater, capturing dust particulates from the air, and providing a cooling environment in the summertime, according to the city.
The sedum roofs are only one of the ways that the city is improving upon their transit shelters; over the next few years, Utrecht will be installing solar panels on every single one of their bus stops.
In February 2019, the city also announced that they'd be replacing their current transit vehicles with a new fleet of electric buses.
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Regional officials aim to employ an entirely carbon-neutral transit fleet before 2028.
Moreover, Utrecht is offering subsidies to city residents who want to replace their worn-out rooftops with sedum roofing or solar panels.
Watch the video of the 'green' bus stops in action:
A small roof becomes part of the streetscape
The project makes use of a surface most passengers rarely consider. Looking upward at a shelter changes the way a routine piece of transport infrastructure is perceived: it can hold planting as well as provide cover. The interesting design question is how many small, distributed spaces can contribute something useful without needing a new large park.
Distinguish a project aim from a measured result
The environmental benefits and future transport plans in the original report are claims and ambitions from its 2019 context. A planted roof's performance depends on its design and maintenance, and a photograph cannot quantify cooling or pollution removal. The feature is strongest when it explains the idea clearly while leaving those outcomes to appropriate evidence rather than treating every green surface as equally effective.
How the Utrecht shelters work
According to the City of Utrecht, all 316 shelters had their sedum roofs by April 2019. Every shelter also has LED lighting and a bamboo bench, its base is made of recycled concrete, and 96 of the shelters have solar panels. The shelters were installed by RBL Outdoor and Clear Channel, which will maintain them for 15 to 20 years using electric vehicles; the project costs the municipality nothing, because the operator pays for installation and upkeep from advertising income. The city issued the contract when the deal with its previous shelter provider expired, asking for designs that suited a carbon-neutral Utrecht, used little energy and were purchased on circular principles, and it encouraged nature-inclusive proposals. Residents can apply to the city for a subsidy towards a green-blue roof of their own.
Sources: City of Utrecht: Green-roofed bus shelters in Utrecht
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