10 Principles of Conservation Subdivision Design

old subdivision design v new conservation subdivision design

When conservation subdivision design principles were first introduced, developers thought their properties would be devalued and sales would take longer. It turned out, however, buyers would pay more to live in a village that made preservation of natural areas a feature even if it meant smaller lots for them. Today, some of those lands would be given over to backyard homesteading and, for those who don’t wish to participate, their plots can be leased to neighbors or, for that matter, local gardeners and farmers.

Here are some conservation subdivision design principles:

1. Retain in perpetuity key natural environmental features like orchards, farmland, wetlands, rock outcroppings, ponds, landscape vistas, rural character of communities
2. Develop plans that take into account natural features as well as property elevations and settle onto the lands respecting those parameters
3. Link with neighboring properties including connectivity of roadways, pathways and wildlife corridors/no fencing other than safety fencing
4. Create live-work-play-shop-learn-grow environments and achieve high walkability score, https://www.walkscore.com/
5. Embrace flex housing, which includes the following elements—granny flats, in-home apartments but also work-from-home suites, https://profbruce.tumblr.com/post/97802907994/flex-homes
6. Develop visitable housing that allows elders to remain in their community, https://profbruce.tumblr.com/post/91970858789/visitable-home
7. Provide a mix of housing that allows for multi-generational living as well as for persons from different socio-economic classes to mix together and learn from each other; no gated communities
8. Provide local shopping, farm-gate marketing, sharing economy, micro business and personal business for life
9. Embrace neo-urbanist principles and highest and best use rationale
10. Create opportunity for greater intensity and density of land use to conserve more land in its natural state and make better use of both infrastructure and the built form

FOR REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT AND BUSINESS COACHING THAT’LL HELP YOU PROVIDE FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY FOR 3-GENERATIONS, PLEASE CONTACT:

Bruce M Firestone, B Eng (civil), M Eng-Sci, PhD
Real Estate Investment and Business coach
ROYAL LePAGE Performance Realty broker
Ottawa Senators founder
1-613-762-8884
bruce.firestone@century21.ca
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