As Swedish cities continue to densify, with increasing urbanisation and reduced access to ground-level

greenery, roof surfaces are emerging as a potential resource for sustainable urban development. At the

same time, there is a growing need for everyday environments that support restoration, social interaction,

and contact with nature. Green roofs have largely been studied from technical and ecological

perspectives, for example in relation to stormwater management, energy production, and biodiversity.

However, knowledge remains more limited regarding how green roof gardens, designed as accessible

environments for human use, influence people’s experience of architecture, safety, and well-being.

Questions of social sustainability and human well-being are becoming increasingly central in urban

planning, which has led to growing interest in how roof surfaces can be developed as green environments

for everyday use.

This study aims to develop an experience-based and theoretically grounded design strategy for green roof

gardens in urban environments. The study explores how rooftop environments can be understood as more

than technical surfaces. The focus lies on how they can be developed as architectural spaces that support

safety, restoration, and spatial quality. The research is conducted as an explorative and design-based study

in which literature studies, a qualitative interview, site analysis, comparative analysis, and conceptual

design are combined.

The theoretical framework of the study is based on environmental psychology, biophilic design,

affordances, spatial legibility, and theories of restorative environments. By comparing technical

guidelines for green roofs with experience-based design principles, the study identifies a gap between the

roof’s functional performance and its potential as a human-centred environment for everyday use. The

study is related to municipal planning within a southern Swedish context and is conceptually tested

through a case study at Östermalms Park in Kristianstad.

The findings show that green roof gardens need to be designed with a focus on more than the mere

presence of vegetation. In order to function as environments for human use, they require clear spatial

legibility, climatic comfort, sheltered areas, opportunities for choice, as well as long-term operation and

maintenance. The study therefore contributes a design strategy that can support architects, planners, and

municipal actors in the development of rooftop environments as socially inclusive, restorative, and

architecturally qualitative spaces. The study’s main contribution is to demonstrate that architectural

design is crucial in activating the social and experiential potential of rooftop environments.