Landscape replacement policy for buildings to include vertical greens, rooftop farms: URA

MORE urban rooftop farms may soon crop up after the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) expanded its landscape replacement policy to allow rooftop urban farms and vertical green spaces to be used to replace the greenery lost due to development.

URA on Thursday said that the Landscaping for Urban Spaces and High-Rises (Lush) programme will now be expanded such that up to 10 per cent of the hardscape area can be provided in the form of urban rooftop farms.

As a guide, at least 40 per cent of the overall required landscape replacement areas should be for permanent planting (softscape); the rest can be made up of communal and recreational facilities such as event plazas and playgrounds (hardscape).