CONSERVATION DEVELOPMENT PRACTICES & STRATEGIES

Neosho Community Workshop

Ronda Headland, Community Conservation Planner January 21, 2012

Conservation Development • Maintain Site Integrity

• Soils • Topography • Hydrology • Flora • Fauna

• Built Environment • Site location • Development patterns • Green buildings

• Green Infrastructure • Open Space

• Greenways/connections • Minimize lot sizes/cluster • Recreation/wildlife

Viewing opportunities

• Sense of Place & Cultural Identity

Photo by Ronda Headland, MDC

Conservation Development Practices Site Integrity - Soils

• Living Organism • Avoid Compaction • Erosion Control • Avoid Importing

Soil

Photo by Tim Davis, Greene County

Conservation Development Practices Site Integrity - Topography

Photo by Ronda Headland, MDC

Conservation Development Practices Site Integrity - Topography

Photo by Ronda Headland, MDC

Conservation Development Practices Site Integrity – Hydrology

• Reduce runoff volume (promote infiltration, harvest rain)

• Slow runoff velocity • Filter pollutants from runoff

(suspended solids, heat)

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Low-Impact Development Post-construction hydrology mimics pre-development hydrology to the greatest extent possible.

Conservation Development Practices Site Integrity – Hydrology

Photo by Ronda Headland, MDC

Photo: David Dods

Vegetated Drainageways Conservation Development Practices

Site Integrity – Hydrology

Conservation Development Practices Site Integrity – Hydrology

Conservation Development Practices Low-Impact Development (LID)

• Reduce impervious surfaces • Avoid soil compaction • Surface drainage instead of

underground pipes • Vegetation instead of paving • Roofs – green and blue • Treatment train • Bio-swales • Bio-retention/rain gardens • Native plants • Tree preservation • Green walls • Water quality basins • Street sweepers

Conservation Development in Practice. The Nature Conservancy and Chicago Wilderness.

Conservation Development Practices Low-Impact Development (LID)

Conservation Development Practices Site Integrity – Flora

• Preservation • Native Plants

• Adapted to the climate • Require less irrigation, pesticides, fertilizers • Adapted to pollinators • Wildlife habitat • Reduce mowing/noise pollution • Improve air quality • Rain water management • Carbon sequestration

• Urban Forests • Social benefits • Reduce energy usage for climate control • i-Tree (U.S. Forest Service)

http://www.itreetools.org/

Conservation Development Practices Site Integrity – Flora

Photo by Ronda Headland, MDC

Conservation Development Practices Site Integrity – Flora

Photo by Ronda Headland, MDC

Conservation Development Practices Site Integrity – Fauna

February 23, 2006

Conservation Development Practices Built Environment – Green Buildings

• Energy Efficiency • Water Efficiency • Indoor Air Quality • Building Materials

• Local sources • Sustainably harvested

and processed • Low-maintenance • Longevity

• Construction Practices • Recycling • Soils • Plants

http://www.simondale.net/house/

Conservation Development Practices Green Infrastructure

Green infrastructure is strategically planned and managed networks of natural lands, working landscapes and other open spaces that conserve ecosystem values and functions and provide associated benefits to human populations. www.greeninfrastructure.net

Ecosystem functions that are integrated into the built environment…

…and MAINTAINED

Gray Fabric • Land Use

Districts

Green Fabric • Urban Forest

Gray Networks • Streets • Utilities

Green Networks • Urban hydrology • Connected open

spaces

Conservation Development Practices Green Infrastructure

Photos courtesy the City of Springfield

Conservation Development Practices Green Infrastructure

Conservation Development Practices Open Space

Conservation Development Practices Open Space

Photos by Ronda Headland, MDC

http://landscapeofmeaning.blogspot.com

Conservation Development Practices Sense of Place

Sense of Place

Photo by Guy Headland

Certification Programs Greenroads™

http://www.greenroads.org/

Certification Programs Envision™

http://www.sustainableinfrastructure.org/

Certification Programs Infrastructure Voluntary Evaluation Sustainability Tool (INVEST)

http://www.sustainablehighways.org/

Certification Programs Ozarks GreenScore

http://www.ozarksgreenscore.com/

Certification Programs Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)

http://www.usgbc.org/

Certification Programs The Sustainable Sites Initiative™

http://www.sustainablesites.org/

http://www.planning.org/sustainingplaces/

http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/partnership/index.html