Green roofs as a possible solution to air pollution in Belgrade

Abstract

In recent decades, due to increasingly climate change, urbanization and industrialization, urban ecology stands out as a special area of ecology and is gaining more and more importance. Cities are specific ecosystems that have a huge role on global climate change and the state of the environment. In facing the challenges of sustainable urbanization encouraged by the current European agenda for research and innovation, in recent decades one of the key roles belongs to green roofs. Although the problem of air pollution in Belgrade is one of the dominant ecological threats it faces, no solutions have been offered for years. Given that the last decade has been characterized by the intensive construction of new buildings, as well as the need to reconstruct existing roofs, this paper highlights the benefit of green roofs as an ideal solution for sustainable urbanization. The similarity of the climatic conditions of the city of Basel, which is the leader in the world in terms of the area of green roofs per inhabitant, and Belgrade, which is at the back in the field of sustainable urban design, was also determined, which is a significant prerequisite for taking over the experiences in the formation of green roofs from Basel to the Belgrade area.