Introduction to Conservation Design

In Introduction to Conservation Design , you'll learn ...

• The primary goals and meaning of conservation design
• The benefits of conservation design for communities, homeowners, and developers
• How to integrate conservation design into local plans and ordinances
• The principles and practices for conservation design, including ordinance language to enable each practice

Overview

Preview a portion of this course before purchasing it.

Credit: 8 CPD

Length: 81 pages

This course introduces the reader to the principles and practices of conservation design. Conservation design is a site development strategy that takes into consideration the most valuable features of the natural landscape, while still allowing equivalent development density.

Development inevitably causes some degree of disturbance and compaction of the soil, the loss of vegetation density, impacts to natural habitats, and the creation of impervious surfaces. All too often ordinance requirements result in a site layout that does not take into consideration the most valuable aspects of a site. Water quality, habitat, and critical ecological features can be lost if sites are fit to a development, rather than fitting a development to a site.

Conservation design focuses on the grouping of building sites, thereby allowing for the preservation of green corridors, valuable natural resources, and the avoidance of ecologically sensitive areas. Conservation design typically results in projects that are better for the environment, while providing additional economic and quality of life benefits. For these reasons, conservation design is gaining popularity.

This course is intended for practicing engineers, contractors, developers, regulators, and all other personnel involved with site development.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Define conservation design and identify its economic, environmental, and land-use objectives.
• Integrate conservation-design principles into local planning, ordinances, and flexible lot-design standards.
• Evaluate strategies for protecting natural landscapes, drainage systems, and open space while reducing impervious area.
• Create a conceptual conservation-development approach that incorporates sustainable stormwater management.

Certificate of Completion

You will be able to immediately print a certificate of completion after passing a multiple-choice quiz consisting of 40 questions. CPD credits are not awarded until the course is completed and quiz is passed.