Roof Gardens (houses, landlords, live)

[goldengrain]

Are there incentives for buildings to establish roof gardens?
Should there be?
Would this not help clean the air and give people a place to picnic, get to know neighbors, catch some zzzz's, watch the kids play in safety?

[mc33433]

Many roofs are not legally accessible for residents to hang out on. Those that are often do have roof decks but not necessarily gardens. But they do provide a place for neighbors to have a common space.

[barkomatic]

What determines whether residents have legal access to the roof? Is it simply a matter of installing railings and a surface that is up to code?

[TheMachineStops]

My building doesn't have much roofspace as a lot is taken up by our Central Air equipment and other obstructions. For the first 15 years I lived there, there was strong opposition to a roofdeck, by the residents of the Penthouses.
Eventually there was enough momentum behind the idea and an engineering study was undertaken and now, FINALLY we have a roofdeck with chairs tables, and plants.

[mc33433]

A roof is accessible as an emergency egress only in many buildings, unless specifically constructed to be a roof deck. The materials used in building the roof that isn't made to be a deck can be easily damaged by the weight of many people up there. It can even cause the waterproof membranes to be damaged and cause water leakage into the building, among other problems. If it is not made to be a deck, then it is also often not correct constructed for people safely be up there either and is a big liability for the building (slanting, no walls, dangerous equipment, etc). That's why many landlords restrict access by putting alarms on the emergency exit door, etc.