How green is my bus stop?

By adamg on Thu, 10/03/2024 - 12:42pm

Where's the bus stop? It's under the plants. Photo by City of Boston

Boston has covered 30 bus stops along the 28 route between Mattapan Square and Ruggles with planters as part of a three-year pilot that, if successful, could be expanded to bus shelters across the city:

Built in collaboration with community partners, these new roofs feature drought-resistant plantings that will help provide shade, improve air quality, increase stormwater retention, and add new green space along the bus route. The City selected bus shelters along this corridor as it has some of the highest bus ridership in the MBTA system and neighborhoods along this corridor are disproportionately impacted by extreme heat.

These green roofs provide direct shade over bus shelters, which typically have transparent roofs. In addition to keeping people cool on hot days, the plantings will absorb rainwater, reduce runoff, and capture pollutants, thereby contributing to better water quality and flood prevention. Finally, the small rooftop gardens will also support birds and pollinators, fostering greater biodiversity in urban areas. This is the largest single installation of green roofs on bus shelters in the nation.

The planters are similar to those that have long lined outdoor walkways on the top floors of City Hall.

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Comments

Well, the Mattapan Square

By Don't Panic on Thu, 10/03/2024 - 12:57pm.

Well, the Mattapan Square stop can definitely use this (those city planted sidewalk trees don't provide much shade) but Blue Hill and Woolson already has a huge shade tree that even moderates snow and rain. The Warren Street and Gaston Street stop never had any shade so this will be a welcome addition going either way on Warren...

Overall, I approve this plan even though I've never been to the top floors of City Hall.
Why would anyone go there?

green roof

By anon on Thu, 10/03/2024 - 2:37pm.

They provide additional insulation for the roof they cover, prevent solar loads, reduce stormwater having to be removed from the roof (remains in the planters), and provides green spaces for building occupants if they're accessible (not all are - useful even if roof is restricted access). Part of the green movement is to prevent the water that would normally remain on site if a greenfield from having to be removed - buildings and hardscape (sidewalks, paving, roads, etc) prevent absorption into the ground below. Green roofs reduce runoff (and the inherent pollution in runoff from hardscapes)

forgot to add

By anon on Thu, 10/03/2024 - 3:18pm.

having the moisture in the planters also provides cooling by the moisture evaporating, pulling heat from the materials in contact. Most roofs are much warmer than the ambient air, especially dark roofs. Adding white roofs, solar panels, and plantings reduces the temperature at the roof level and the roofs impact on the cooling loads in the spaces below.

Another place to see - Ikea in Stoughton, Can see some from the big windows in the cafe area.

Top floors of City Hall

By adamg on Thu, 10/03/2024 - 2:42pm.

In the Before Times, I would go up there on the regular to attend licensing and zoning hearings, and even the odd BRA board meeting (now I just laze about in our dining room, sipping on coffee and reaching for a Dunkin' Munchkin as I watch them on Zoom).

More of this please

By cybah on Thu, 10/03/2024 - 3:10pm.

More of this please. We need more green in our cities.

This is such a lovely and

By Frelmont on Thu, 10/03/2024 - 3:46pm.

This is such a lovely and idyllic idea. It really captures my imagination. I want this to be one of the nice things we can have and keep.

I really hope this works and they pay attention to the strength of the supports, the water-barrier against inside dripping and the design of the street/sidewalk - entry/exit edge to be certain any muddy, bird poop over flow drains at the back so you don’t get dripped on going in and out and doesn’t make the sidewalk slippery.

I think in the long term this will require bus shelters to be purpose built to be foliated and part of a hard, anti-heat island infrastructure.

I know that current concrete manufacturing releases a fair amount of CO2, but don’t concrete surfaces and cobblestone contribute less to heat island than asphalt? Also, for a walkable city there needs to be enough “town strip/city strip” to enable people to walk places with their dogs without burning their feet.