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Ann Moss, co-owner and principal of a Colorado landscape-design firm that specializes in land conservation, delivered the School of Environmental Design’s Draper Lecture Feb. 17. She discussed the principles her firm applies to its projects:
“Almost all of our projects have to do with conservation, either in the public or the private sector. . . . We call it ‘open-lands planning.’ We’ve found that ‘open spaces’ is not a good term, because people like ranchers tend to think that people can go on open-space land, and sometimes they can’t. . . .
“Poorly planned land-consumptive development is the major environmental issue of the 21st century. . . . Atlanta’s suburban growth was 100 times greater than growth in the city last year. . . .
“We focus on principles of sustainable design: recognizing that people and nature coexist; planning holistically; respecting the spirit of a place; helping people understand and incorporating education . . . . It’s got to be an open and honest public process. . . .
“Our solutions: build partnerships and a support system; get objective analyses and public input; be product-driven (‘do it so they can use it’); create voluntary incentive-based regulations; find a long-term funding source; and establish priorities.” |
