How the built environment becomes part of the conservation solution
Main Stage
Something unusual has been happening on the roof of one of New York's largest event venues. A 6.75-acre green roof, installed as an energy efficiency measure, has quietly become a functioning ecosystem. It is a rest stop for migratory birds, a home for pollinators, a model for conservation architects around the world. It wasn't designed as a conservation project. But it became one. That accidental outcome is now being made intentional at scale, as cities pursue strategies that treat rooftops, facades, street corridors, and waterways as infrastructure for biodiversity, not just for people. What happens when we stop measuring how much ecological harm cities can reduce, and start measuring how much ecological good they could generate?
