Jesus that was an overly long article. The auto tldr didn’t even scrape the main points. Why is it hard to do?

Gardens are heavy and load is a safety issue. Waterproofing and damp are an issue Maintenance and getting stuff up to the roof is messy.

This is the best summary I could come up with:

If you look down from Helen Baker’s apartment balcony, you’ll see big communal gardens filled with daises and olive trees, kangaroo paws and carpet roses.

But, despite their long list of possible benefits, experts acknowledge their take-up in Australia has generally been slow, and much slower than many comparable cities around the world.

It is a similar story in Melbourne where, in 2019, deputy lord mayor Nicholas Reece wrote an impassioned piece in The Age newspaper calling for the city’s buildings to add green roofs.

“Cities like Singapore, Toronto, Munich as well as Berlin, Chicago, London, Seattle, Tokyo and San Francisco, most recently New York have all created a greener city by introducing planning requirements that effectively mandate green roofs and green space in new developments,” he explains.

Dr Osmond wants to see councils look abroad to countries and cities which have had greater success than Australia at greening rooftops.

While back at Aberfeldie, Helen hopes more Australians have a chance to pick flowers and experience the joy of their own rooftop garden.

The original article contains 1,300 words, the summary contains 169 words. Saved 87%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!