Köppler, M.R. and Hitchmough, J.D. (2015) Ecology good, aut-ecology better; Improving the sustainability of designed plantings. Journal of Landscape Architecture, 10 (2). pp. 82-91. ISSN 1862-6033
Abstract
© 2015 European Council of Landscape Architecture Schools (ECLAS). This paper explores how contemporary ecological science, and aut-ecology in particular, can improve the sustainability of designed vegetation. It is proposed that ecological understanding can be applied to design at three levels: 1) as representation, 2) as process, and 3) as aut-ecology, representing a gradient from the least to the most profound. Key ecological interactions that determine the success of designed plantings are explored via a review of relevant ecological research, challenging some widely held but unhelpful constructs about how both semi-natural and designed vegetation actually function. The paper concludes that there are real benefits to integrating aut-ecological understanding in the design of vegetation at all scales but that this will require ecological theory to be taught as a design toolkit rather than largely as descriptive knowledge.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2015 Publisher. This is an author produced version of a paper subsequently published in Journal of Landscape Architecture. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy |
Keywords: | Aut-ecology; competition; stability; disturbance; diversity; planting design |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Department of Landscape Architecture (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 12 Feb 2016 12:10 |
Last Modified: | 13 Dec 2016 02:07 |
Published Version: | https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/18626033.2015.1058578 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Taylor & Francis |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1080/18626033.2015.1058578 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:95039 |