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- Info
Designing with nature and showing the benefits
| Author: |
Kollin, Cheryl |
| Date: |
1997 |
| Periodical: |
Land Development. The National Association of Home Builders |
| Abstract: |
Across the country, homebuyers and renters are demonstrating a growing interest not only in the design features of new homes but also in the quality of the homes' surroundings. A small yet expanding number of developers have recognized this trend and are responding to it by designing in harmony with existing natural features. Dave Fort of Campus Development Group in Gainesville, Florida, designed with nature at Campus Club Apartments, a high-density housing complex targeted to students at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Fort and other environmentally sensitive developers and builders have learned that trees and other natural elements of the landscape improve the quality and marketability of new developments while enhancing the overall quality of the broader community. When developers make good use of existing natural features, they can realize an increase in sales prices along with a decrease in the cost of complying with local erosion and stormwater control requirements. Environmentally sensitive developments are a good investment, but, unfortunately; their benefits are not immediately evident. Now, with new Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology; developers can quantify the economic value of natural resources by modeling a series of planning scenarios that ensure cost-effective development. This article describes how a GIS-based software program called CITYgreen translates design and tree conservation methods into a tangible economic value and helps document the benefits of more natural approaches to stormwater management. |
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