Heather L. Venhaus - Designing the Sustainable Site, Enhanced Edition

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Copyright 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

Published simultaneously in Canada.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Venhaus, Heather.

Designing the sustainable site : integrated design strategies for small-scale sites and residential landscapes / Heather Venhaus.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-470-90009-3 (pbk.); ISBN 978-1-118-18026-6 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-18027-3 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-18341-0 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-18342-7 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-18343-4 (ebk)

1. HomesitesPlanningCase studies. 2. Sustainable designCase studies. 3. Ecological landscape designCase studies. I. Title. II. Title: Integrated design strategies for small-scale sites and residential landscapes.

NA9051.V46 2012

720.28dc23

2011033592

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Watching you explore this beautiful world is one of our greatest pleasures. We cant wait to see all the amazing things you will accomplish.

Foreword

Humanitys successful quest for sustainability relies upon our connection with nature and the understanding that healthy, functioning ecosystems are directly related to our survival. Throughout the 30 years of my professional career, I have noticed a dramatic increase in environmental problems, but I have also noticed an increase in the willingness of people to work for a better world.

In this modern era, we are continually confronted with serious problems that are pertinent to our very existenceclimate change, water shortages, and loss of biodiversityand I believe that there is no time to delay corrective action or to accept easy options. In order to build a sustainable future, we must look within ourselves. We must understand the impact of our actions, face tough challenges, and seize the opportunities that are in front of us. Most importantly, we must act upon what surrounds usour cities and the landscapes that we encounter on a daily basis.

It is often the small examples that make change possible and that have a great impact on new movements in society, politics, and architecture. They help us develop new standards, give us hope, and provide us with the courage to redirect our actions. Knowing this, Heather Venhaus has chosen to focus on such small-scale sites and residential landscapes as schoolyards, parks, residential developments, backyards, and streetscapes that people encounter regularly and that therefore have a significant impact on their well-being and quality of life.

Designing the Sustainable Site is more than just another book for the bookshelf. It is a call to action and a guide to observing and working with the built and natural environments in order to achieve sustainability right in our own cities and neighborhoods. In the pages that follow, readers will find the tools necessary to work holistically, to restore ecosystem function, and to develop high-performance sites that celebrate beauty and incite emotional energy. It is my hope that this book will have a large audience, as it is a strong contribution toward livable cities and an environment that we all need today and for the future.

Herbert Dreiseitl

Preface

Over 7 billion people now inhabit the earth, placing unprecedented pressure on the planets soils, waters, forests, and other natural capital. The majority of the global population lives in urban areas, where their interactions with nature, and the benefits that these interactions provide, commonly occur in small-scale sites and residential settings. Most often, these landscapes are treated as inconsequential, and their full potential to mend humanitys environmental offenses and improve our quality of life is commonly overlooked. This book was written to address this issue and to assist projects in gaining the full environmental, economic, and social benefits that can be achieved when sites protect and restore ecosystem services. It seeks to elevate the discussion of sustainability beyond doing less badattempting to merely slow down environmental degradationto create regenerative sites that restore ecosystem function and rebuild the earths natural capital.

This book explores major environmental and human health issues, such as air and water pollution, habitat loss, water shortages, and flooding, which often plague urban environments, as well as the potential for site development and maintenance to either contribute to these problems or to be part of the solution. Sustainable strategies that address each challenge include detailed descriptions, design considerations, and illustrations to help project teams determine the best options for their site. Throughout, the book emphasizes the interconnectivity of all project components and helps designers integrate living and built systems into mutually beneficial and cohesive design solutions. Integrated design is stressed as a model for improving site performance and saving time and money over the life of the project.

All siteswhether densely urban, suburban, or ruralcan support the natural systems and processes that sustain and fulfill our lives. Throughout the book, numerous case studies from public and private projects in the United States and abroad are provided to illustrate a diversity of sustainable design strategies. These projects demonstrate that sustainability happens, not in spite of but in response to challenges. As with all projects, the design teams for the case studies faced outside influences, budget limitations, and other restrictions, but through focused effort, creativity, and collaboration, they were able to create sustainable solutions. In many cases, these projects are more cost effective and provide a broader suite of ecosystem services than similar conventional landscape developments. It is my hope that the case studies will motivate the design and landscape industries to continue raising the bar and striving toward true sustainability.