City of Boston Unveils 30 Green Roofs On Bus Shelters

Today, Mayor Michelle Wu announced the installation of green roofs on 30 bus shelters along the MBTA’s #28 Bus route. Built in collaboration with community partners, these new roofs feature drought-resistant plantings that will help provide shade, improve air quality, increase stormwater retention, and add new green space along the bus route. The City selected bus shelters along this corridor as it has some of the highest bus ridership in the MBTA system and neighborhoods along this corridor are disproportionately impacted by extreme heat. The City and its partners will be evaluating this three-year demonstration project to learn how it can be scaled to other locations across the city.  

“These green roofs on bus shelters are not just a representation of Boston’s progress on sustainability—they are a practical, scalable solution to some of the most pressing challenges we face as a city,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “With this new milestone from our Office of Climate Resilience, we are demonstrating that Boston is leading the way in innovative, community-focused climate action.”

These green roofs provide direct shade over bus shelters, which typically have transparent roofs. In addition to keeping people cool on hot days, the plantings will absorb rainwater, reduce runoff, and capture pollutants, thereby contributing to better water quality and flood prevention. Finally, the small rooftop gardens will also support birds and pollinators, fostering greater biodiversity in urban areas. This is the largest single installation of green roofs on bus shelters in the nation. 

This project advances key strategies in Boston’s Heat Plan, including the “Cool Commutes” strategy, which aims to create cooler commutes through shaded bus stops. The City prioritized the Route 28 corridor running between Mattapan, Dorchester and Roxbury as it intersects with some of the city’s urban heat islands - areas that experience higher temperatures for longer periods on hot days. Route 28 is currently the most popular route in the MBTA system and is one of three fare free bus lines in Boston. Over half of riders on free routes are classified as low-income, and thus disproportionately affected by climate impacts such as the urban heat island effect. This corridor is used by a variety of bus routes in addition to the #28.  

“The launch of these green roofs is a tangible example of how we can reimagine our urban infrastructure to be more resilient, sustainable, and equitable,” said Brian Swett, Chief Climate Officer. “This is also a terrific example of Boston’s approach to the Green New Deal - investing in neighborhoods and people to address our climate crisis.”

“This project exemplifies how innovative, scalable solutions can improve the day-to-day experience for residents, while adapting our city for the climate challenges ahead,” said Chris Osgood, Director of Climate Resilience. “A range of partners made this project possible, and we look forward to learning from it and scaling it to communities across Boston.”

To install and maintain the green roofs, the City partnered with Social Impact Collective, a Boston-based, minority-owned architecture and design firm, Weston Nurseries, a Massachusetts-based plant nursery, and YouthBuild Boston, a local non-profit organization which focuses on providing underserved young people with the support and credentials needed to successfully enter the construction and design industry. Data collection and analysis will be conducted in partnership with Social Impact Collective, ensuring that the project’s benefits are thoroughly documented and understood. Data being collected includes how much stormwater is retained, temperature of green roofs compared to the sidewalk, and plant growth. 

“The number of public and private partners involved in this project demonstrates the all-of-government approach this administration has taken to enhancing sustainability, livability, and justice,” said Oliver Sellers-Garcia, Green New Deal Director and Commissioner of the Environment Department. “We’re committed to putting all our resources towards work that improves daily life and directly involves residents, youth and local entrepreneurs. Boston’s climate investments are quality of life and economic development investments too–that’s what the Green New Deal is all about.”

“Having led the original pilot project back in 2014, we were delighted to work with the City again and bring back this valuable program” said Michael Chavez, Founder of Social Impact Collective. “These green roofs are a visible example of how implementing climate resilience at a neighborhood scale can improve outcomes while empowering the community through training and involvement in project implementation.” 

The green roof retrofit project builds on a successful pilot program initiated in 2014. This new installation, completed last month, will seek to standardize the integration of green infrastructure across Boston's bus shelters and potentially other street furniture. These green roofs will be monitored and maintained for three years to assess their impact on heat, air quality, stormwater management, and biodiversity. This project is a collaboration between the City’s Office of Climate Resilience, the Environment Department, the Office of Property Management, the Office of Green Infrastructure, the Transportation Department, the Mayor’s Office, as well as the MBTA and JCDecaux, the City’s street furniture contracting partner. 

"It's been amazing to work with Michael, Trevor and YouthBuild Boston again! Their partnership and passion for green infrastructure (GI) undoubtedly helped [de]pave the way for widespread GI implementation in Boston," said Kate England, Director of Green Infrastructure. "Green roofs are just one type of GI the City is deploying to improve our resilience to the effects of climate change--distributed GI in our neighborhoods ensures our most vulnerable populations experience the many benefits of GI in their daily lives."

“As the sustainability leader in out-of-home media and the first in our industry to commit to the RE100 and to our carbon emissions to Net Zero by 2050, we are proud to be supporting this important Boston initiative to provide new sustainable services on the streetscape” said Alan Sullivan, Co-Chief Executive Officer of JCDecaux North America.

Today’s announcement expands upon the City’s work to make Boston the most green and resilient city in the country. Recently, the Office of Workforce Development in collaboration with the Environment, Energy, and Open Space Cabinet, the Green New Deal team, and the Office of Green Infrastructure have been awarded $9.8 million from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to develop the workforce needed to enhance Boston’s climate and coastal resilience. This project is a strong example of Boston’s work to implement a Green New Deal that is focused on enhancing quality of life and economic opportunities through addressing climate change. You can learn more about this project or see a map of where the green roofs are located here. 

About the Office of Climate Resilience: Established in the summer of 2024, this Office leads Boston’s climate adaptation efforts to challenges such as coastal flooding, extreme heat, and stormwater flooding. The Office supports the City’s all-of-government approach to delivering projects, policies and programs that keep residents safe and neighborhoods thriving.