Is Biodiversity the New Frontier for Sustainable Home Development?

In recent years, sustainability for new development has centered on reducing resource use and emissions in water, waste, and energy. A more recent item bearing attention is biodiversity.

Greenfield housing development typically reduces wildlife habitat, but there are proven strategies that minimize this impact. More direct collaboration between a project’s urban designer, architect, and a team of landscape architects, ecologists, and sustainability consultants during the earliest planning phases yields benefits.

For instance, base-standard houses could include elements like green roofs, green walls, and landscapes with biodiversity-enhancing plant species instead of just those that happen to be available at the local nursery.

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