Envisioning Better Communities, the new planning book by Randall Arendt, is a gem. (Full disclosure: Randall Arendt is a dedicated member of LandChoices. I’m a big fan.) This week I received a review copy of the book from the American Planning Association. I will review the book in a series of blog posts. The subtitle, Seeing [...]
Natural neighborhoods, also known as “conservation subdivisions“, “ecological development”, or “green development”, shown in this video, preserve natural areas, water, wildlife and working farmland. Wildlife conservation and farmland conservation are an important part of natural neighborhoods, along with water conservation as large swaths of natural areas filter and absorb storm water. Learn more about natural neighborhoods. [...]
You can help us raise funds for a new website to more efficiently protect water quality, natural areas, wildlife and working farmland near you. Our new website will help planners preserve land in your community. The most important reason we are building a new website is to make it easier for you, the user, to [...]
Enjoy our new short two minute test drive video through natural neighborhoods, aka conservation subdivisions. Less-wide, safer streets and swales instead of curb and gutter reduce stormwater run off pollution. Large swaths of preserved land and natural landscaping filters stormwater, protects wildlife, groundwater, natural areas, and working farmland. Please share this video with your local [...]
I’ve been studying the fantastic book Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. The book is helping all of us at LandChoices clarify our goal of taking conservation subdivisions nationwide. The book teaches the importance of breaking our somewhat ambiguous goal into very doable and easy to [...]
I’m excited to read the new book, Envisioning Better Communities (PDF), by noted planner Randall Arendt. (Full disclosure: Randall Arendt is a dedicated member of LandChoices. I am a big fan.) I have not received the book yet so I have not had a chance to read it, but want to share the following information I located on [...]
This is a short video we created to promote natural neighborhoods, our new alternate name for “conservation subdivisions“. Please share this video by clicking on the “Share/Save” button below to help spread the word. Image courtesy Randall Arendt, Conservation Design for Subdivisions, Island Press, 1996. Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com. //
This is a terrific overview of open space development, known also as “conservation subdivision” or “conservation development”. Open Space Residential Development: Four Case Studies (PDF) is a must read if you want to learn more about open space developments. The study offers a profile, financing, comparison site plans, photos, home value and appreciation, by laws, open [...]
Check out this conservation design poster from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC). The top site plan is of a 365 acre parcel developed using conventional development, and the bottom site plan is the same parcel developed using conservation design. Quite a difference! //
At LandChoices we are always on the lookout for tools that help promote conservation design for subdivisions to preserve clean water, working farmland, wildlife and natural areas on lands where development is inevitable. Our friends at 10,000 Friends of Minnesota have created a really neat and useful Conservation Design Scorecard (PDF). From the start, the Scorecard [...]
