Land and Natural Development (LAND) Code

Land and Natural Development (LAND) Code offers a pioneering method to develop sites in harmony with natural processes. While the LAND Code can be readily used in conjunction with LEED, EPA, and other guidelines, it features several unique characteristics, including recommendations based on peer-reviewed scientific research, a system that is accessible to non-experts, and extensive use of photographs and diagrams to illustrate practices and procedures.

Acknowledgments vii

Chapter 1. Introduction 1

What This Book is About 1

Why This Book 1

How to Use This Book 3

How Land Code Points Were Determined 3

How We Use the Term Sustainability 5

How This Book Came About 6

Chapter 2. Water 7

Site Drainage 7

Impervious Surfaces 16

Stormwater Quality 29

Water Conservation and Reuse 42

Chapter 3. Soils 45

Erosion Prevention and Control 45

Soil Health and Integrity 52

Chapter 4. Air Quality and Microclimate 55

Chapter 5. Living Resources 65

Living Resources Conservation Plan 65

Preserving and Restoring Habitat 67

Buffering Critical Habitat 73

Landscape Connectivity 79

Road Placement and Design 82

Native Species and Landscape Heterogeneity 84

Selected Resources for Identifying Native and Invasive Species 88

Chapter 6. Energy 89

Chapter 7. Industrial Ecology and Materials 99

Chapter 8. Environmental Engineering 107

Erosion Prevention and Control 107

Stormwater Management: Runoff Quality and Quantity 119

Renewable Energy 132

Computer Models 134

Chapter 9. Different Paths to Sustainability 147

Case Studies 148

Points Checklist 199

Glossary 205

References 211

Index 227

DIANA BALMORI, PhD, is the founder of New York City–based Balmori Associates, a firm that is internationally recognized for its success in realizing complex urban projects that integrate innovative sustainability systems and patterns of use within an overarching sense of place. Her firm has created master plans ranging from a blueprint for Bilbao, Spain, to the design for the Farmington Canal Rail Trail to a waterfront park on the Mississippi River. Balmori Associates is implementing a 46,000-square-foot network of green roofs in Long Island City, New York. She has been appointed to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts through 2007. Balmori teaches at the Yale School of Architecture as well as at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.

GABOURY BENOIT, PhD, is associate dean for research and professor of Environmental Chemistry and Environmental Engineering at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. At Yale, he is also director of the Center for Coastal and Watershed Systems and codirector of the Hixon Center for Urban Ecology. Dr. Benoit's research focuses on the behavior, transport, and fate of chemicals in natural waters, soils, sediments, and biota. Special areas of interest are non-point source pollutants, toxic contaminants, and human–environment interactions in urban areas.

Sustainable land development strategies based on scientific information

Land and Natural Development (LAND) Code offers a pioneering method to develop sites in harmony with natural processes that is solidly based on peer-reviewed scientific findings. While the LAND Code can be readily used in conjunction with LEED, EPA, and other guidelines, it features several unique characteristics, including:

• Recommendations based on peer-reviewed scientific research
• Rating scheme that weights each development and land use practice based on its environmental benefit and difficulty of implementation
• Straightforward, step-by-step system that is accessible to non-experts
• Focus on land rather than buildings
• Extensive use of photographs and diagrams to illustrate practices and procedures

After an introduction, the book begins with chapters covering water, soil, air, living resources, energy, and materials. Throughout these chapters, the authors recommend tested and proven strategies that minimize disruption of the natural processes. Each chapter provides background, describes benefits for both developers and ecosystems, and recommends protective strategies in simple, non-technical language (a glossary is provided explaining all terms not in common usage). A toolbox of environmental engineering methods to implement the strategies follows, and the final chapter of the book provides a series of examples of actual development projects in which a variety of approaches have successfully attained sustainable development. With its emphasis on scientific understanding, the LAND Code offers you the information needed to make and implement decisions for ecologically sound land development.