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The cramped, concrete jungle that is Tokyo, one of the world's most densely populated cities, has little space for parks. But things are starting to look up.
In an attempt to add a little greenery to the concrete, many city roofs have been converted into gardens.
Rooftop planting has been on the rise since the city government, eight years ago, made it mandatory for new commercial buildings to cover at least 20 percent of available space with greenery.
"You see buildings and buildings all around Tokyo. Tokyo obviously needs more greenery as a city, and rooftop greening maybe one way to do it," said Atsuro Tarutoko, manager of the Hearton Hotel which was built three years ago with a $100,000 rooftop garden.
As well as the soothing aesthetics, experts say the green roofs also provide environmental benefits as the gardens cut indoor temperatures, reducing air-conditioning costs.
"I believe part of our job is to try to merge some quality space into the city's landscape and allow local residents to feel that quality," said Aya Mugita, a construction project developer at a recent green technology expo in Tokyo.
Some information technology companies are already cashing in on the rooftop greenery business.
"We provide software that simulates the amount of carbon dioxide that can be absorbed by a garden based on the types and volumes of trees to be planted there," said Yutaka Tanaka of Tokyo-based software maker Ecol System.
But experts say converting the urban jungle that is Tokyo into a green refuge will take a few decades.
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(Agencies)
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東京被稱為擁擠的“鋼筋水泥叢林”，也是世界上人口密度最大的城市之一，在這里幾乎沒有空間來修建公園，但如今情況卻有所改觀。
為了給鋼筋水泥叢林增添一抹綠意，東京市內(nèi)的很多屋頂已被改造成花園。
東京市政府于八年前強(qiáng)制推行屋頂綠化，規(guī)定新建商業(yè)建筑可利用空間的綠化率最少要達(dá)到20%。在這之后，東京屋頂綠化率逐步提高。
哈爾頓酒店經(jīng)理Atsuro Tarutoko 說：“你在東京滿眼望去，見到的除了樓房還是樓房。作為一個城市，東京當(dāng)然需要更多綠意，而屋頂綠化也許正是一條可行之道?！?哈爾頓酒店修建于三年前，屋頂花園造價(jià)達(dá)十萬美元。
屋頂花園不但美觀，專家認(rèn)為它還能降低室內(nèi)溫度，減少空調(diào)成本，從而保護(hù)環(huán)境。
建筑開發(fā)商Aya Mugita在東京最近舉辦的綠色技術(shù)博覽會上說：“我認(rèn)為我們的任務(wù)之一就是把一些優(yōu)質(zhì)空間融入到城市景觀中，并讓當(dāng)?shù)鼐用窀惺艿竭@種品質(zhì)?！?/font>
一些信息技術(shù)公司已經(jīng)開始關(guān)注屋頂花園可能帶來的商機(jī)。
東京軟件制造商生態(tài)系統(tǒng)公司的Yutaka Tanaka說：“我們提供的軟件可以根據(jù)所種植樹木的種類和數(shù)量計(jì)算屋頂花園所吸收的二氧化碳排放量。”
但專家認(rèn)為，東京這個城市從林要想轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)榫G色港灣需要幾十年時間。
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（英語點(diǎn)津 實(shí)習(xí)生許雅寧編輯）
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