Contemporary terrace gardens, in addition to being in the garden and landscape, often occur in urban areas and are terrace architecture elements that extend out from an apartment or residence at any floor level other than ground level. They are often discussed in conjunction with roof gardens, although they are not always true roof gardens, instead being balconies and decks. These outdoor spaces can become lush gardens through the use of container gardening, automated drip irrigation and low-flow irrigation systems, and outdoor furnishings.

VERTICAL GARDEN are found most often in urban environments where the plants reduce overall temperatures of the building. “The primary cause of heat buildup in cities is insulation, the absorption of solar radiation by roads and buildings the storage of this heat in the building material and its subsequent re-radiation. Plant surfaces however, as a result of transpiration, do not rise more than 23 °C above the ambient and are sometimes cooler.