The Sustainable Sites Handbook

Get the definitive resource guide for sustainable site design, construction, and management. The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) is transforming land design, development, and management practices across the United States with the first national rating system for sustainable landscapes. The Sustainable Sites Handbook features comprehensive and detailed information on principles, strategies, technologies, tools, and best practices for sustainable site design. Contributors to this book are some of the same experts that carefully shaped the SITES rating tool, ensuring thorough coverage of the broad range of topics related to sustainable site design. The Sustainable Sites Handbook offers in-depth coverage of design, construction, and management for systems of hydrology, vegetation, soils, materials, and human health and well-being. Focusing primarily on environmental site design and ecosystem services, this wide-ranging guide also covers issues of social equity, economic feasibility, and stewardship, which are crucial to the success of any sustainable site. Equally useful as a handbook for obtaining SITES credits or for the independent development of sustainable sites, The Sustainable Sites Handbook is an indispensible resource for practicing professionals in landscape architecture, landscape design, architecture, civil engineering, land planning, horticulture, ecology, environmental engineering, landscape contracting, and parks and recreation management.

"This book will be the official reference guide to Sustainable Sites Initiative Rating System, the first national rating system for sustainable landscapes"--

This complete guide to the evaluation, selection, and use of sustainable materials in the landscape features strategies to minimize environmental and human health impacts of conventional site construction materials as well as green materials. Providing detailed current information on construction materials for sustainable sites, the book introduces tools, techniques, ideologies and resources for evaluating, sourcing, and specifying sustainable site materials. Chapters cover types of materials, both conventional and emerging green materials, environmental and human health impacts of the material, and detailed strategies to minimize these impacts. Case studies share cost and performance information and lessons learned.

The process-oriented guide to context-sensitive site selection, planning, and design Sustainable design is responsive to context. And each site has a unique set of physical, biological, cultural, and legal attributes that presents different opportunities and constraints for alternative uses of the site. Site analysis systematically evaluates these on-site and off-site factors to inform the design of places—including neighborhoods and communities—that are attractive, walkable, and climate-resilient. This Third Edition of Site Analysis is fully updated to cover the latest topics in low-impact, location-efficient design and development. This complete, user-friendly guide: Blends theory andpractice from the fields of landscape architecture, urban planning, architecture, geography, and urban design Addresses important sustainability topics, including LEED-ND, Sustainable Sites, STAR community index, and climate adaptation Details the objectives and visualization methods used in each phase of the site planning and design process Explains the influence of codes, ordinances, and site plan approval processes on the design of the built environment Includes more than 200 illustrations and eight case studies of projects completed by leading planning and design firms Site Analysis, Third Edition is the ideal guide for students taking courses in site analysis, site planning, and environmental design. New material includes review questions at the end of each chapter for students as well as early-career professionals preparing for the ARE, LARE, or AICP exams.

This handbook addresses a growing list of challenges faced by regions and cities in the Pacific Rim, drawing connections around the what, why, and how questions that are fundamental to sustainable development policies and planning practices. These include the connection between cities and surrounding landscapes, across different boundaries and scales; the persistence of environmental and development inequities; and the growing impacts of global climate change, including how physical conditions and social implications are being anticipated and addressed. Building upon localized knowledge and contextualized experiences, this edited collection brings attention to place-based approaches across the Pacific Rim and makes an important contribution to the scholarly and practical understanding of sustainable urban development models that have mostly emerged out of the Western experiences. Nine sections, each grounded in research, dialogue, and collaboration with practical examples and analysis, focus on a theme or dimension that carries critical impacts on a holistic vision of city-landscape development, such as resilient communities, ecosystem services and biodiversity, energy, water, health, and planning and engagement. This international edited collection will appeal to academics and students engaged in research involving landscape architecture, architecture, planning, public policy, law, urban studies, geography, environmental science, and area studies. It also informs policy makers, professionals, and advocates of actionable knowledge and adoptable ideas by connecting those issues with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. The collection of writings presented in this book speaks to multiyear collaboration of scholars through the APRU Sustainable Cities and Landscapes (SCL) Program and its global network, facilitated by SCL Annual Conferences and involving more than 100 contributors from more than 30 institutions. The Open Access version of chapters 1, 2, 4, 11, 17, 23, 30, 37, 42, 49, and 56 of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9781003033530, have been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

Since the publication of the first edition in 2000, Sustainable Landscape Construction has helped to spur a movement towards resilient outdoor environments, in the U.S. and throughout the world. The third edition has been updated to include important recent developments in this landscape revolution. It remains essential reading for everyone with an interest in "green" design of outdoor spaces and infrastructures. Like its predecessors, the new edition of Sustainable Landscape Construction is organized around principles, recognizing that built environments, and our work in them, pose both pragmatic and ethical challenges. Each chapter focuses on one overarching site goal, such as “Pave Less,” “Heal Injured Sites,” and “Consider Origin and Fate of Materials.” These principles of land sustainability are clearly articulated and developed through specific examples of more than 100 projects from around the world, reflecting both traditions and recent innovations. Expanded coverage of industry trends toward performance monitoring, and of lessons from project failures, form an important enhancement in this edition. New content also details the necessity to plan adaptively, not just preventively, for the realities of changing climate and intensifying weather. Some of the trends covered will shift how landscape architects and contractors will do business in challenging years ahead: to survive, many professionals and clients will focus on restoration projects, motivated by ecosystem services and social justice, and funded by innovative methods. Sustainable Landscape Construction is part of the canon of landscape construction texts, and with this update, remains a visionary, one of a kind reference for professionals and students.

The new student edition of the definitive reference on landscapearchitecture Landscape Architectural Graphic Standards, Student Edition is acondensed treatment of the authoritative Landscape ArchitecturalGraphic Standards, Professional Edition. Designed to give studentsthe critical information they require, this is an essentialreference for anyone studying landscape architecture anddesign. Formatted to meet the serious student's needs, the content in thisStudent Edition reflects topics covered in accredited landscapearchitectural programs, making it an excellent choice for arequired text in landscape architecture, landscape design,horticulture, architecture, and planning and urban design programs.Students will gain an understanding of all the critical materialthey need for the core classes required by all curriculums,including: * Construction documentation * Site planning * Professional practice * Site grading and earthwork * Construction principles * Water supply and management * Pavement and structures in the landscape * Parks and recreational spaces * Soils, asphalt, concrete, masonry, metals, wood, and recreationalsurfaces * Evaluating the environmental and human health impacts ofmaterials Like Landscape Architectural Graphic Standards, this StudentEdition provides essential specification and detailing informationon the fundamentals of landscape architecture, includingsustainable design principles, planting (including green roofs),stormwater management, and wetlands constuction and evaluation. Inaddition, expert advice guides readers through importantconsiderations such as material life cycle analysis, environmentalimpacts, site security, hazard control, environmental restorationand remediation, and accessibility. Visit the Companion web site:wiley.com/go/landscapearchitecturalgraphicstandards

Sustainable Site Design introduces the core concepts of sustainability as applied to landscape architecture. Focusing on site-scale design, this book provides a regional framework for integrating sustainable practices throughout the design process. From landscape analysis to program and design development, each design phase is illustrated with detailed case studies covering a broad range of innovative built landscape architectural projects.