Successful greening action with rooftop flower meadows |
|
|
|
|
| Marijke Wempe,
Monday 24 February 2025 |
 |
| 171 sec |
Urban greening is increasingly high on the agenda for many municipalities. There are many inspiring examples of successful greening actions supported by municipalities, such as the action realized by CNME together with the municipality of Maastricht and Rooftop Flower Meadow B.V.. 'We are surprised by the enormous interest; in November, for the second year, 160 roofs were transformed into a rooftop flower meadow.'
 |
CNME, the Centre for Nature and Environmental Education, is a local foundation that brings citizens into contact with greenery. 'We do a lot with citizens and schools in the areas of nature, environment, and sustainability education,' says Carole van der Put, project coordinator at CNME. 'We set up projects with citizens to green and make homes and neighborhoods more sustainable. Think about designing green schoolyards, creating facade gardens and bee hotspots, but also organizing clean-up actions for litter. At CNME, we want to create awareness and show that as an individual you have choices and can act sustainably.'
Low-threshold and Broadly Supported
CNME works closely with Natuurmonumenten, Staatsbosbeheer, neighboring municipalities, and local businesses and is a permanent implementation partner of the municipality of Maastricht. Climate adaptation is an important theme here. 'The municipality of Maastricht has an old city center with a lot of paving, which can cause residents to suffer from heat stress and flooding. Short intense downpours are increasingly causing flooding in streets and basements. More and more citizens were asking our help to green their neighborhoods. There was a subsidy scheme to disconnect rainwater, but it was for 100 square meters, and most private individuals do not have that area. So, we wanted a project that was low-threshold and broadly supported.'
Rooftop Flower Meadow More Than a Green Roof
The municipality of Maastricht has conducted research on climate-adaptive measures in Maastricht. Greening roofs was the most popular measure identified. 'Like a sedum roof, a rooftop flower meadow is installed on a regular roof. However, a rooftop flower meadow consists of five to six layers that work together to create a healthy and resilient environment for native plants. 'A rooftop flower meadow is more than a green roof,' says Joost Vlot, founder of Rooftop Flower Meadow. 'It is a specially selected flower mix of about forty genetically native plant species that are suitable for the extreme conditions on the roof. Especially the substrate layer, which contains the necessary nutrients for the native plants, is essential for a sustainable flower meadow.' A filter and drainage layer ensures efficient water permeability and the disposal of excess water. It is thus different from a sedum roof, which only accommodates succulents and has little ecological value. Van der Put: 'At CNME, we find it important to offer sustainable measures that also contribute to the restoration of biodiversity. A rooftop flower meadow helps against heat stress and insects and birds find plants here that are essential for their food, reproduction, and survival.'
 | | Rooftop Flower Meadow in Maastricht |
|
|
6 Square Meters of Rooftop Flower Meadow Worth 450 Euros as a Gift
With the help of Rooftop Flower Meadow, CNME was able to set up a clear and accessible subsidy scheme. 'Joost Vlot already had a lot of experience introducing such schemes in other municipalities and had a good understanding of what worked and what didn't. CNME is there for the citizens, so we wanted to keep the application as low-threshold as possible to be able to take as many green steps as possible.' Every resident in Maastricht with a suitable roof received the first 6 square meters of rooftop flower meadow worth 450 euros as a gift from the municipality. This is the size of a regular garden shed or shed.
Knowing What You Choose
The scheme was a great success. Within two weeks, more than a hundred addresses had registered. 'We didn't even have to do much; the alderman talked about it on our local news channel, and that was enough. We also held a webinar to properly inform people and to answer questions. We took the time to answer all the questions from residents, because people need to know what they are choosing and have time to think about it.'
Many Beautiful Results
In the autumn of 2023, 1900 square meters of rooftop flower meadow were installed by Rooftop Flower Meadow. 'In the spring, I went to see how the flower meadows were developing at a number of people's homes. Due to a quite dramatic spring with a lot of rain and low temperatures, the bloom was late in coming. I had to reassure some people. Once the bloom started, there were many beautiful results, with poppies thriving as pioneer species.'
Repeat Actions
In 2024, CNME repeated the action. 'There were still people on the waiting list and also people who had missed the scheme and now got a second chance. Also, the rooftop flower meadows were noticed and renewed interest arose. So this year too, the action was a great success.' The municipality of Maastricht is very positive about the results achieved so far and also sees that repeat actions work.
 | | Another Rooftop Flower Meadow in Maastricht |
|
|
This article was previously published on February 24, 2025, on the website of Stad + Groen.
| LOG IN
with your email address to respond.
|
|
|
| There are no comments yet. |
Tip the editors
|
