High-Performance Landscapes: Re-Thinking Design and Management Choices to Enhance Ecological Benefits in Urban Environments

J. Amy Belaire (), Heather Bass, Heather Venhaus, Keri Barfield, Tim Pannkuk, Katherine Lieberknecht and Shalene Jha
Additional contact information
J. Amy Belaire: The Nature Conservancy, Houston, TX 77098, USA
Heather Bass: Tarrant Regional Water District, Fort Worth, TX 76102, USA
Heather Venhaus: Regenerative Environmental Design, Austin, TX 78748, USA
Keri Barfield: Fort Worth Botanic Garden, Fort Worth, TX 76107, USA
Tim Pannkuk: Department of Agricultural Sciences and Engineering Technology, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX 77340, USA
Katherine Lieberknecht: School of Architecture, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
Shalene Jha: Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 9, 1-18

Abstract: A growing body of research indicates that urban landscapes can support biodiversity and provide multiple ecosystem services. However, we still have limited knowledge about how specific design and management choices impact environmental benefits within highly modified landscapes. Furthermore, we know relatively little about the potential tradeoffs and synergies encountered when managing for multiple ecosystem services within urban landscapes. In this study, we address knowledge gaps in both research and practice by leveraging a ‘designed experiment’ approach that included a diverse team of researchers and practitioners to evaluate the impacts of designed landscapes on several focal environmental outcomes essential for urban sustainability. Specifically, we evaluated small-scale designed-landscape research plots that varied in plant richness, origin of vegetation, and drought tolerance, and we simultaneously quantified impacts on water conservation, pollinators, and maintenance-related impacts, as well as their intersection with aesthetic appeal for residents. Our results indicate that key landscape choices such as the selection of drought-tolerant plants and a diverse native plant palette can simultaneously enhance water conservation, increase resources for pollinators, and reduce maintenance impacts. Importantly, the designs that rated more highly in terms of visual quality were also those that supported higher pollinator biodiversity and required relatively little water for irrigation, indicating that synergy across multiple benefits is achievable in designed landscapes. In urban landscapes, aesthetic appeal is often a top priority, and our results indicate that visual quality does not need to be sacrificed in order to design landscapes that additionally support water conservation and provide resources for pollinators.

Keywords: urban ecosystem services; designed landscapes; tradeoffs and synergies; pollinators; water conservation; carbon footprint (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
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