Dive Brief:
- The American Society of Landscape Architects has released a guide that gives designers, architects and builders a blueprint for protecting communities against the effects of natural disasters through better landscape design.
- The guide includes case studies as examples of how to use landscaping elements to fight the fallout from "extreme" events like drought, heat, fire, floods and landslides.
- The ASLA said the guide focuses on "cost-effective and practical solutions" that are adaptive and can provide a greater defense against natural disasters than more traditional means.
Dive Insight:
Resilient landscaping entails working with nature to achieve risk reduction, scalability and diversity (multilayered protection), multiple co-benefits (such as coastal buffers that also provide public recreation) and regeneration (helping communities emerge stronger after a disaster), according to ASLA. Developers should strive to meet all of these goals not only to protect their property, but also because recent studies have shown that commercial office tenants as well as homeowners are increasingly valuing green features.
So how can landscape architecture protect communities in times of disaster? ASLA suggests using "green infrastructure" to help absorb, divert and even retain water for future use. In the other extreme, drought, conservation and re-use are key principles, so landscape architects can use native plant design to help store and protect the water supply.
Landscape design can also help cool cities, many of which are experiencing more periods of extreme heat, and urban forests and green roofs are just a few of the tools that can minimize the "heat island" effect. Green roofs are gaining popularity among building owners, and a commercial property expert predicted earlier this year that green roofs would be one of the biggest green building trends this year. Green roof buildings can generate major energy cost savings of 25%-50% and can reduce wear and tear on roof-placed equipment, which benefits from the cooling effect from the plants.