Houston City Hall rooftop greenhouses and green roof

City of Houston Feasibility Study: Rooftop Food Production

Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC), a research hub providing independent analysis on energy, air, and water issues, recently published a study conducted by William McDonough + Partners.

Houston City Hall
Conceptual illustration of Houston City Hall rooftop greenhouses

Houston is one of many US cities that have begun a movement to reclaim underused land.  The report conducted by William McDonough + Partners aims to inspire entrepreneurs and businesses to take action at a large scale by showing the potential for food production in a dense, integrated and diverse city.

Developing hydroponic agriculture is one possibilities for growing large quantities of nutritious vegetables using minimal resources and land area. The report discusses the vision for creating greenhouses for hydroponic gardening on municipal property in the Houston downtown area. The City of Houston has identified properties with the potential to host a greenhouse on the roof or at grade. Each site was evaluated against a set of criteria developed by William McDonough + Partners and Morris Architects.

The full report is available to read on harc.edu.