The potential of retrofitting green roof to increase flood resilience in Jakarta

Abstract With climate change and urbanization intensifies, major cities are increasingly vulnerable to flooding. Green roofs have the potential to be a valuable tool for adapting to floods, but this benefit is not yet widely acknowledged. Although interest in applying nature-based solutions is rising, research has primarily concentrated on green roofs’ effectiveness on individual rooftops. This study analyses green roofs impact on flood susceptibility at the district level and examines how technical and social factors influence green roof suitability in Jakarta. Using exploratory design and mixed methods approach, this study performs suitability analysis and flood risk assessment through GIS-MCDA and AHP. The findings highlight that green roofs are most effective when implemented strategically, considering location and users. Although a single green roof might not have a major effect on flood risk, a network of them covering a large area could be very beneficial. This suggests that widespread green roof adoption could be critical for city in diversifying flood adaptation strategies to be more flood resilient in the future.