Environment

   In the United States, as in most locations, environmental degradation has become a very, very real problem. Whereas past  generations of designers were focused on social equity and justice, many of our incoming students are also environmentally motivated. They have recognized that truly sustainable urban environments not only need to preserve and remediate existing ecologies, but also need to approach carbon-neutrality in their formative principles.

 

We ask, "is the design environmentally sensitive? Does it connect and enhance existing ecosystems? Does it create new habitat? Does it reduce our carbon footprint?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • The market for dense, walkable, mixed-use community configurations surrounded by preserved natural open space is rapidly expanding in the United States.

  • Recent developments in LEED design guidelines reward environmentally responsible design. Many of the guidelines promoted by LEED are Landscape Architectural in nature:

  • Intelligent site selection strategies.

  • Water management strategies

including onsite purification scenarios.

  • Rain water harvesting and Integrated

grey water systems.

  • Storm water management and erosion

control.

  • Heat Island effect reduction of thermal

gradient differences between developed and

undeveloped areas and minimize their impact

on microclimate.

  • And, the use of non-potable irrigation

systems as well as native and drought tolerant

plant materials.

  • Landscape Architecture can be used to create new, and link existing, wildlife habit thereby assisting biodiversity.

  • Landscape Architecture can be used to diminish urban runoff, thereby lessening erosion.

  • Landscape Architecture can be used to purify water and contaminated air.

  • Landscape Architecture can be used to create the comfortable urban microclimates.

  • Landscape Architecture can be an effective method of environmental education for the public.