Residential Landscape Sustainability

Book excerpt: This valuable resource for developers and designers will help to develop design solutions sympathetic to the environment and improve the sustainability of residential landscapes. The landscapes around housing have a crucial role in creating a more sustainable future with carbon-neutral homes. This book shows how to improve the sustainable profile of new residential developments through landscape planning, design and management – by conserving resources and minimising pollution, and by enhancing ecological diversity. This may be achieved without significant additional capital outlay. The residential landscape sustainability checklist gives housing developers, landscape architects, architects and planners a tool with which to assess the environmental implication of their schemes throughout the design process – from site planning to detailed design. The checklist focuses on residential housing developments but many features of the tool - including improving energy efficiency, materials selection, planting design and management - can also be applied to a wide range of different types of development, from school grounds to retail parks.