The rooftop of Futian Produce Wholesale Market has a vegetable garden, image courtesy of Shenzhen Daily

With a population of over 15 million people and the nation’s worst traffic, Shenzhen has to find some way of balancing the eco-system.

That is why the city is following Beijing and Shanghai by covering more rooftops in greenery, as Shenzhen Daily reported yesterday.

A seminar on this process, known as vertical greening, will be held in Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macao from November 23 to 27.

Vertical greening can reduce energy costs by cooling and insulating buildings. It also offer environmental benefits, purifying the air, reducing dust, noise and carbon dioxide while producing oxygen.

Citizens enjoy a leisurely hour at dusk on the green-covered rooftop of Shenzhen Book City CBD Store in Futian District, image courtesy of Shenzhen Daily.

Tan Tianying, president of Beijing Green Roof Association, said plants and water have been proven to be among the most effective measures to degrade and dilute PM2.5, which is a worry for everybody who lives in a major Chinese city.

Tan also said a layer of plants and earth can cut the rate of heat absorption through the roof in summer by 84 percent.

And according to treehugger.com, rooftop farming is being pioneered in China.