Quote Originally Posted by d.mcc View Post
Because I am pretty sure green roofs have been around as long as man has been constructing shelters for himself. I don't know if Terra Amata had any "green" or "living roofs" persay, but I am fairly certain that were in use at Scara Brae.
That's true. But you must admit that, these days, there's a novelty factor to LEED-approved design and green roofs. Hell, work around urban planning issues long enough, and you see how faddish and fleeting all that "novelty" can be.

A short history of an American thoroughfare:

1950s: Take out the streetcar for traffic.

1960s: Widen the thoroughfare for smoother traffic.

1970s: Build out the sidewalk in hopes of attracting more shoppers.

1980s: Add a streetscape to fill the empty shopping sidewalk.

1990s: Take out the streetscape because it looks dated.

2000s: Add a median for "green space."

When I think of all the money that's spent on this "great new idea" over the last 60 years, I wonder if we shouldn't have just kept the streetcars instead of spending $50 million here and $100 million there on the latest "sure thing."

Then again, you know cynical ol' me.