What is Sustainability?  

Photo Credit: Dean Forbes

Sustainability can be broadly defined as the capability of natural and cultural systems to maintain themselves over time. Sustainability is supported by an individual and collective motivation to use a low impact and less consumptive approach to interaction with other people and the environment. [1]

In 1987, the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development, made an eloquent argument for sustainable development, which it defined as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” [2] Over the last two decades, this prescription for sustainability has gained wide acceptance, and has increased in importance in both national and global policy guidance and in the planning and design process.

As leaders of sustainability, landscape architects have the unique opportunity and shared responsibility to create and employ sustainable design practices that minimize environmental degradation and consumption, and balance stewardship with the need to provide healthy, productive communities so that the needs of future generations are not compromised.

Why Sustainable Design and Development?   

Sustainability is becoming increasingly important to our communities with building “green” now a driving force in the marketplace.  The American Society of Landscape Architects’ recent economic surveys confirm this trend:  Over 70 percent of the landscape architects surveyed report client interest in sustainability issues, including stormwater management, and water and energy conserving features. 

As humans, our decisions and behavior affect the health and well-being of the rest of the natural world, and the health of the natural world affects our own health and well-being—physical, mental, economic, and societal.  Sustainable design begins with a thorough understanding of this global feedback loop, and the interactions between hydrology, geology, topography, climate, soil, and habitat.  Integration of these systems and collaboration between disciplines from the earliest stages is essential to successful sustainable design and development.

Sustainable methods must also account for environmental stewardship, social responsibility and economic viability. As part of its commitment to these principles, ASLA has partnered with The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas at Austin, the United States Botanic Garden, and a diverse group of stakeholders to form The Sustainable Sites Initiative.  Founded in 2005, the Sustainable Sites Initiative will develop guidelines and standards for rating landscape sustainablity.  These standards will be used to develop a rating system and reference guide, which will include pilot projects illustrating successful examples of sustainable design practices that will address economic, social and environmental factors at the local, regional, national and global levels. The U.S. Green Building Council, a stakeholder in the Initiative, anticipates incorporating these standards and guidelines into future iterations of LEED. Visit Sustainablesites.org.

Who are practitioners and advocates of Sustainable Design and Development? 

Sustainable design and development issues encompass a broad range of disciplines including landscape architecture, ecology, civil engineering, environmental sciences, public health, planning and architecture. Landscape architects play a critical role in sustainable design, both in designing and showcasing sustainable landscape design solutions and advocating integrated sustainable design practices among the allied design professions.  Visit ASLA's Sustainable Design Professional Practice Network (PPN). 

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[1] American Society of Landscape Architects. Environmental Sustainability Public Policy, 2007.
[2]Our Common Future: Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987. 

General Resources 

Organizations
American Planning Association
Architecture for Humanity 
Center for Urban Forest Research
The Conservation Fund
Environmental Design Research Association
Environmental Protection Agency Greenscapes
Federal Highway Administration Critter Crossings 
Global Green
Green Roofs for Healthy Cities
HarvestH20.com
ICLEI: Local Governments for Sustainability
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center 
Low Impact Development Center
National Wildlife Federation Backyard Wildlife Habitat Program
One Planet Living
Smart Communities Network
The Sustainable Sites Initiative
U.N. Division for Sustainable Development
United States Botanic Garden
U.S. Green Building Council 

Institutes
American Institue of Architects Committee on the Environment 
Gund Institute for Ecological Economics
Rocky Mountain Institute
Urban Forest Ecosytems Institute 
Urban Land Institute 

Foundations
Water Environment Research Foundation 

Societies
North American Native Plant Society
Soil and Water Conservation Society 

Environmental Assessment Tools 

United States 
Arup’s SpeAR (Sustainable Project Appraisal Routine)
Building for Environmental and Economic Stability (BEES)
EPA Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watershed's Low-Impact Development Page
Green Guide for Health Care 
Living Building Challenge (PDF)
Living Building Challenge: An Assessment Tool
Measures of Health: An Assessment Tool 
Natural Landscaping for Public Officials
The Pharos Project: Material Life Cycle Assessment
Plant Stewardship Index
Residential Landscape Sustainability: A Checklist Tool
The Sustainable Sites Initiative
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ SPIRIT (Sustainable Project Rating Tool)
USDA Plants Database - Invasive and Noxious Weeds 
U.S. Forest Service's UFORE Computer Model
U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System®
Whole Building Design Guide on Protecting Water Quality
Whole Measures 

International
BREEAM (U.K.): Building Research Establishment (BRE)’s “Environmental Assessment Method” (EAM)
BRE’s Envest (software calculator of environmental impacts of buildings’ materials and operating systems)
Green Globes (United States and Canada)
One Planet Living 

Local Resources 

California
Alameda County Waste Management Board 
California Green Building and Design
CHPS Schools (Collaborative for High Performance Schools) 
Santa Barbara County Green Building Guidelines 

Texas
City of Austin, TX: Austin Energy Green Building Program 

Washington
Washington State Chapter ASLA - COTE 

For additional resources, please visit ASLA's Sustainable Design Professional Practice Network 

Do you know of any other useful resources? E-mail your ideas to info@asla.org