Land development in a greener world

Recession means shifting from construction to maintenance.  Because nobody is in much of a hurry to sell right now, we are being presented with the opportunity to improve our holdings, fill holes and stop leaks.  With so many people in California, and such concentrated development, we are grappling with land-use issues that will affect us for generations to come.  Very few areas of the state remain so isolated that development truly has a less-than significant impact on the local community and environment, and project planning needs to consider increasing the health of the community.

I'm really excited by some of the Permaculture development ideas; including:

water resources (sources, quantity, quality, recharging of ground supply, use and affect on downstream neighbors etc.)

location of desirable natural resources other than water; aesthetic, ecologic or economic (trees, rock outcrops or minerals, species or habitat of concern

suitability for proposed development with surrounding use and long-term planning goals

Water is the beginning of any Permaculture site design, and it guides any grading or construction.  Where does the water come from, how can it be slowed, retained, and encouraged to bring life to the site and percolate away through the underlying soils.  Traditionally Civil grading plans allow for run-off, effeciently channeling rainfal or any other surface water towards the nearest creek through gutters, culverts and drains. Holding a drop of water primary in your mind and considering permeable and vegetable surfaces, less pavement and more garden,  creates healthier design.l

Several California Counties now have Heritage tree ordinances and I am beginning to see these affecting site design.   Last week I was on a project near Folsom.  There is a single oak, a 36 inch Blue Oak  on the twenty acres of this site, and the tree and native soil under the dripline was preserved during the phase one development of the project.  It isn't much, but it is a haven.  The circle of the sheltering oak was reinforced by circles in the parking lot and building design.  While I was on site, gathering topo data for new construction, the oak tree was alive with birds, songbirds and raptors and corvids alike.

If there are empty neighborhoods, we need to repopulate them.  If we build new neighborhoods we should do it with the sense that people will live there, that we are creating living communities, and that we should maintain life and beauty.