Start Date
03/09/2023
End Date
03/09/2023
Description
Every garden, no matter how small, is a human intervention in an ecological system. The more we understand that system, the more effectively we can balance ecological resilience with human functional needs and garden design principles. We will review case studies of landscape projects in suburban Boston and Cambridge, MA, alongside systems theory, to explore how to create beautiful, ecologically vibrant gardens on small-scale residential properties.
Distance Learning
Yes
Course Equivalency
No
Subjects
Horticulture / Plants
Residential Design
Health, Safety and Welfare
Yes
Hours
1.25
Learning Outcomes
1. Examine case studies that demonstrate the application of evidence-based, commonly understood principles of ecosystem services to the design of small-scale landscapes. These services include benefits to human health & wellbeing; biodiversity & wildlife; green space, biomass & carbon sequestration; soil health; and natural processes of air & water filtration; etc.
2. Discussion and case studies demonstrate how to design landscapes for resilience and foster regeneration on small parcels that must also serve as high-functioning, human-centered spaces.
3. Discussion and arguments for a long-term, phased approach to landscape design, and/or for the long-term involvement of the designer with each project. This allows for the designer to observe and help guide both human use and ecological response to the landscape changes.
Instructors
Laura Kuhn
Course Codes
Provider
New Directions in the American Landscape