"A city-wide network of green roofs can result in cooler summer temperatures, reduced energy demand, contained water runoff, protected wildlife habitat, and an enhanced sense of urban well-being. Highlighting all these and more, [this book] will inform and inspire communities, designers, building owners, and local leaders by show-casing the environmental and aesthetic potential of green roofs around the world. The book examines the possibilities and benefits of green roofs through forty case studies of exemplary green roof projects, hundreds of color photographs, and seven municipal case studies describing green roofs in Berlin, Tokyo, London, Portland, Chicago, Toronto, and New York. William McDonough, an architect and leader in the sustainable development movement, provides an opening essay that considers green roofs as part of a larger project to harmonize the natural and built environments, while other experts in the field detail the technical requirements, architectural history, and design possibilities of vegetated rooftops"--Inside front cover.