Green Infrastructure is a practical and inspiring guide to rethinking how we plan, protect, and manage the landscapes around us. With detailed examples from across the country, this book introduces a forward-looking approach to land conservation-one that connects natural systems across scales, from individual parcels to entire regions, and integrates ecological health with human needs.
Written by leading experts in planning, design, and conservation, this wide-ranging resource helps readers understand how to evaluate the full range of potential uses for a landscape-recreation, biodiversity, flood mitigation, habitat connectivity, or community development-and identify which uses offer the greatest long-term value. The book equips professionals and advocates alike with a toolkit for implementing conservation strategies that serve both people and nature.
From greenway design to regional watershed planning, Green Infrastructure presents real-world strategies and decision-making frameworks that can be tailored to a variety of urban, suburban, and rural settings. It also shows how to build partnerships, navigate policy, and align conservation goals with economic and social priorities.
Clear, accessible, and rich with illustrations, this book empowers planners, landscape architects, and engaged citizens to design landscapes that are resilient, functional, and meaningful-advancing a smarter, more connected vision for land stewardship in the 21st century.
"Benedict and McMahon make a compelling case that the long-term health and viability of our communities and countryside depend upon connecting parks, trails, and farmland to create a tapestry of protected land spanning the American landscape."---Keith Laughlin, President, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy "Green Infrastructure is a remarkable guidebook, brimming with vision, practical step-by-step guidance, and detailed case studies. It will be invaluable to all who seek to conserve significant networks of open lands and to build truly livable communities."---Jean Hocker, president emeritus of the Land Trust Alliance and president, Conservation Service Company, LLC "Green Infrastructure represents an informed and progressive way of approaching our environment. ...It is clearly written and uses boxed case studies, quotes, tables and photographs to enhance its clarity and readability."
