1 x 50'

At the hub of New York City lies Manhattan Island.  9 miles long and 2miles wide, just 18 square miles, inhabited by a rising population of1.7 million. Dense and claustrophobic, this heaving metropolis is close to bursting.

For the majority, the streets and parks are their playgrounds and gardens.  For a growing few, another place exists. Set on the rooftops of New York City, Heavens Above explores the environmental possibilities of building roof gardens on this elevated and enchanting landscape.
 
Abandoning the cramped city streets for life in the sky, we traverse the crowning glory of the city’s skyscrapers, apartment blocks and factories to uncover the possibility of a modern day hanging gardens of Babylon. From the tarred-over roofs of the lower east side to the lush roof garden on top of the Chelsea Hotel, this valuable landscape can offer city-dwellers an alternative, greener and fresher environment.
 
Revealing a colourful collection of characters and broad variety of lifestyles on the way, the film examines the psychological, environmental and practical benefits of these marginal spaces for urbanites worldwide.