A bus shelter in Brooklyn is being tested as part of a new program the city hopes will help the environment, reduce flooding and keep New Yorkers cool.
The so-called green roof can be found atop the shelter in Brownsville, as plants and grasses grow above the spot where riders wait for the B12 and B14 buses at the corner of Pitkin and Saratoga avenues.
So far, it is the only one like it in the city. It is part of a pilot program to help absorb heavy rains and reduce temperatures.
“It’s pretty attractive. Whatever helps Brownsville because it does get very hot here. I spent the whole summer here and I wish there were more things like this,” said Mario Cardoza, of Bushwick.
Alexis Hidalgo, the policy advisor with Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice, said the bus shelter green roofs are a regular site in cities like Amsterdam, and 30 can be found across Boston.
“We know that a lot of people wait long times at bus shelters, and we know that it can get really hot, especially somewhere like on Pitkin Avenue, where there isn’t a lot of shade and there isn’t a lot of tree canopy,” said Hidalgo.
The city is also testing reflective tape on three bus shelters to see if they help cool commuters down while they wait.
“We are working with partners to not only look at the temperature difference that these projects provide, but also the stormwater retention to see just exactly how much of a difference they make, so that we know if they work,” Hidalgo said.
A QR code is posted at the bus stop for public feedback.
The cost to install and maintain the green roof at the Brownsville bus stop: $50,000. The pilot funding was not provided by the city, but rather a local non-profit called Resilient Cities Catalyst.
“We’re also going to be getting more information about costs and what maintenance could look like if we roll it out at a larger scale,” Hidalgo said.
The green roof at this bus shelter will be in place until at least November.
