Overview
Landscaping plays a crucial role in urban settings, influencing both social and environmental elements of our lives. |
The planning of outdoor spaces can create attractive, enjoyable surroundings that help connect us to nature even in highly built environments. Landscaping also effects the hydrologic cycle, soil conditions and biodiversity in a region.
Irrigating private and public landscapes demands a constant supply of potable water. In 2010, water used to irrigate agriculture and recreational public spaces in the United States was estimated at 155 billion gallons per day (20). In the United States, outdoor water use accounts for 30% of residential use, or 9 billion gallons per day, and can be much higher in drier parts of the country and in more water-intensive landscapes. Similarly, landscaping accounts for 28% of water consumption within the educational sector (21). Conservative watering methods for home lawns and larger cultivated spaces can therefore have a significant contribution to the sustainability of freshwater supplies. The University of Houston’s 560-acre main campus contains 450 acres of green space with approximately 7,000 trees (22). Several approaches to landscaping and irrigation can ensure that this large urban landscape is kept healthy and beautiful while using water efficiently. In this section, we focused on water-conservative irrigation and plant selection. |