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Green Roof Benefits, Performances and Challenges

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Green Building".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 571

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Management, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: ecological engineering; rainwater management; green roofs; rain gardens; constructed wetlands; water quality; phosphorus; reactive materials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The scope of the issue encompasses a detailed examination of various aspects of green roofs, including their ecological, economic, and social impacts in the background of current trends and policies. It aims to synthesize existing research, identify knowledge gaps, and propose solutions to the challenges faced in green roof implementation. This issue aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of green roofs, facilitating informed decision-making among stakeholders, including urban planners, policymakers, and architects. By situating the discussion of green roof benefits, performances, and challenges within the broader context, this issue highlights the importance of green roofs in sustainable urban development and calls for a collaborative approach to overcoming the challenges they face. It encourages ongoing research and dialogue among various stakeholders to promote the effective integration of green roofs in urban environments.

Prof. Dr. Agnieszka A. Karczmarczyk
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • green roofs
  • rainwater retention and runoff delaying
  • thermal aspects
  • environmental benefits
  • stormwater management
  • innovative construction materials
  • ecosystem services
  • landscape architecture and planning
  • adaptation to climate change
  • climate change mitigation strategies
  • sustainable techniques
  • performance and challenges in different geographical regions

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 2103 KiB  
Article
Improving Green Roof Runoff Modeling for Sustainable Cities: The Role of Site-Specific Calibration in SCS-CN Parameters
by Thiago Masaharu Osawa, Fabio Ferreira Nogueira, Brenda Chaves Coelho Leite and José Rodolfo Scarati Martins
Sustainability 2025, 17(13), 5976; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17135976 - 29 Jun 2025
Viewed by 316
Abstract
Green roofs are increasingly recognized as effective Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) for urban stormwater management, contributing to sustainable and climate-resilient cities. The Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN) model is commonly used to simulate their hydrological performance due to its simplicity and low data [...] Read more.
Green roofs are increasingly recognized as effective Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) for urban stormwater management, contributing to sustainable and climate-resilient cities. The Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN) model is commonly used to simulate their hydrological performance due to its simplicity and low data requirements. However, the standard assumption of a fixed initial abstraction ratio (Ia/S = 0.2), long debated in hydrology, has been largely overlooked in green roof applications. This study investigates the variability of Ia/S and its impact on runoff simulation accuracy for a green roof under a humid subtropical climate. Event-based analysis across multiple storms revealed Ia/S values ranging from 0.01 to 0.62, with a calibrated optimal value of 0.17. This variability is primarily driven by the physical and biological characteristics of the green roof rather than short-term rainfall conditions. Using the fixed ratio introduced consistent biases in runoff estimation, while intermediate ratios (0.17–0.22) provided higher accuracy, with the optimal ratio yielding a median Curve Number (CN) of 89 and high model performance (NSE = 0.95). Additionally, CN values followed a positively skewed Weibull distribution, highlighting the value of probabilistic modeling. Though limited to one green roof design, the findings underscore the importance of site-specific parameter calibration to improve predictive reliability. By enhancing model accuracy, this research supports better design, evaluation, and management of green roofs, reinforcing their contribution to integrated urban water systems and global sustainability goals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Roof Benefits, Performances and Challenges)
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