Space is scarce in NWE or as the European Environment Agency (EEA) puts it: “accelerating rates of urbanisation, changing demographic and dietary patterns, technological changes, and climate change place unprecedented demands on land. Yet the availability of land is finite. This imbalance is unsustainable.” Fortunately, cities have a lot of unused space on flat and slanted roofs. MultiRoofs is about identifying how this space can be used most effectively through multifunctional use. Space on rooftops can be used as a sustainable solution that increases territorial resilience and improves the livelihood of communities.

We distinguish several types of roofs: 'yellow roofs' produce renewable energy, 'green roofs' lower temperatures, add biodiversity and improve air quality; 'blue roofs' help cities and water bodies combat pollution and mitigate the effects of extreme weather; 'purple roofs' add space for living and working, 'red roofs' for meeting spaces and sports, 'orange roofs' for transportation; and 'grey roofs' for utilities. Combining functions creates 'golden combinations', in which positive effects are amplified. We need to innovate transnationally to achieve multifunctional roofscapes in our cities, create scalability of benefits and minimise fragmentation of innovation capacities. In this process we connect public authorities, property owners, businesses, (technical) experts, interest groups and research organisations to jointly fast-track multifunctional utilisation of rooftops.

We develop strategies, implement pilot actions in the urban regions of project partners and deliver capacity-building programmes that allow public authorities to set this ecosystem into motion. We create, validate and scale

(1) a digital twin tool for public authorities to determine what is desirable on rooftops,
(2) approaches to identify property owners who are willing to utilise their roofs multifunctionally and
(3) financial incentives to influence property owners to utilise their rooftops multifunctionally.

MultiRoofs promotes a green, smart and just transition for the NWE region. It combats environmental degradation and the harmful effects of climate change. We ensure balanced development and make regions more resilient by following the principles of the New European Bauhaus and help make the objective of “no net land take” by 2050 achievable for our urban areas.