The Climate-wise Landscape Initiative began in 2016 as a partnership between the University of Florida’s Departments of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Horticulture to conduct applied research and education focused on climate-wise landscape design and practices. The research to date has focused on two primary areas: 1) climate change information for practitioners, educators, and students and 2) ecological planting design.
The purpose of this site is to share:
- Information about our research projects and links to related products
- Climate change information relevant for landscape architects
- Current projects and strategies being employed by landscape architects globally to address climate change
- Resources to help landscape architects address climate change
Climate Change Projects
Initial research included a survey of attitudes and perceptions of Florida landscape architects regarding climate change with the goal of collecting input on the relevance of climate change for the profession, identifying information gaps, and locating barriers to considering climate change in projects. Funding from the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture’s CLASS Fund provided for further analysis of the survey data, additional data collection and research, and preparation of this website and other publications. Publication and travel support was also provided by the University of Florida DCP Travel Grant Initiative. Although this website is focused on the needs of landscape architects in Florida, we believe it is broadly relevant for landscape architects in other locations as well.
The following page provides more information about the survey and the team’s related research: Summary of Survey Results. Full results and discussion can be found in Nawari, N., Clark, N. (Eds). Tropical Storms as a Setting for Adaptive Development and Architecture: iNTA 2017, available on Amazon or Kindle.
With work from 2016-18 primarily focused on existing landscape practitioners, additional funding was received in 2019 from the CLASS Fund to identify and assess needs and methods for educating future landscape architects and horticulturists about climate change, climate-wise plant material, and design strategies. Full results and discussion can be found in our article Educating future landscape professionals about climate change and climate-wise design: current status, priorities, and information needs (2022) Landscape Research (47)2: 227-243. https://doi.org/10.1080/01426397.2021.1958307
Ecological Planting Design Projects
Investigating Alternative Approaches and Techniques for Designing Ecology-Based Landscapes for Urban Residential Lots
Current design methods for residential lots have changed little in the last 150 years despite advances in ecological knowledge. Even though some landscape architects are designing landscapes that incorporate ecological concepts, their techniques have not filtered down to the residential scale of landscape design. The goal of this project is to develop alternative methods for creating small-scale, ecology-based residential designs that can be installed by contractors with minimal training. The project has developed a different form of planting plans and tested them with three different landscape contractors at the landscape plots located at the UF/IFAS Tree Unit (arboriculture facility). Next steps include ongoing work to test planting design methods with students (ongoing), and to develop more information about quantifying the relative ecological, social, and economic costs/benefits of this methodology.
Preferences and Perceptions for Resilient, Ecology-based Florida Friendly Residential Landscapes
The combined pressure of growth and climate change are increasingly reducing the biodiversity and ecosystem services provided by Florida’s agricultural lands and natural environments. Facilitating the conversion of traditional residential landscapes to ecologically functional designed landscapes could mitigate some of this loss and increase community resilience. The goal of this project is to test public preferences for an ecologically focused extension of the Florida Friendly Landscape principles. During the first phase of the project, we designed and planted three ecology-based landscapes at the UF/IFAS Tree Unit. The next step is to invite the public to various events to view the landscapes and complete a survey. Results will be analyzed to assess the public’s perceptions.