A Framework for Planning Sustainable Residential Landscapes

Abstract The authors present a normative vision and planning framework for protecting landscapes and ecosystems. They suggest that good planning of residential environments requires that planners re-examine priorities and regulations from the point of view of sustaining landscape processes and functions. The health and prosperity of communities over the long term depends upon natural processes and landscape function. Without a healthy environment, human communities face uncertain futures. Planning to sustain landscapes implies not only a new philosophy but also different land-use practices within communities.