Long Island City to be Green-Roof Leader

Silvercup Studios, the home of Tony Soprano, now has another claim to fame. It's the site of the largest green-roof in New York City, and it may soon become the anchor for a neighborhood of green-roofs.

Metropolitan Magazine reports this week that Long Island City is an opportunity waiting to happen. It's not a particularly healthy place to grow up, with a high incidence of asthma and very few parks. But it's loaded with flat roofs that lend themselves to rooftop vegetation. Put enough of these rooftop parks together and they can help lower the heat index, make the air cleaner, and reduce storm-water runoff.

Landscape architect Diana Balmori, the Long Island City Business Development Corporation, and the owners of Silvercup Studios worked together to make the Silvercup green-roof a reality. They planted the roof this summer - right in the middle of the heat wave. Since they included a monitoring station, they'll be able to track the effectiveness of the green-roof. Could be, Long Island City will feel a little bit cooler next summer.