Handbook of Regenerative Landscape Design - 9780849391880

What if environmentally damaged landscapes could not only be remediated from an ecological standpoint, but also designed to replenish an entire community as well as the nature surrounding it? The Handbook of Regenerative Landscape Design incorporates ecology, engineering, sociology, and design elements into a new paradigm for environmental restoration and the renewal of urban and cultural sites. This is the first resource in the field to examine the collaborative roles of scientists, landscape architects, and urban planners in transforming degraded landscapes into sustainable communities for both people and wildlife. Top practitioners and theorists from different fields and perspectives contribute innovative case studies that converge in their emphasis on new uses for reclaimed land, rather than a return to its original state. In addition, this book is one in only a handful to address the system conditions necessary for the repair of severely degraded landscapes, especially in an urban context. It elucidates the most suitable remediation strategies for treating degraded environments such as industrial landfills, mining sites, buried urban rivers, heavily polluted or effectively destroyed wetlands, Superfund sites, and abandoned factories. Bringing the perspectives of landscape architects, scientists, and urban planners to a wider audience, the Handbook of Regenerative Landscape Design demonstrates how ecological landscape restoration processes can facilitate sociological and urban renewal initiatives.