Available:*
Library | Item Barcode | Call Number | Material Type | Item Category 1 | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... | 30000000065247 | HD108.6 L94 1985 | Open Access Book | Book | Searching... |
Searching... | 30000000065239 | HD108.6 L94 1985 | Open Access Book | Book | Searching... |
On Order
Summary
Summary
For more than 30 years, John Tillman Lyle (1934-1998) was one of the leading thinkers in the field of ecological design. Design for Human Ecosystems, originally published in 1985, is his classic text that explores methods of designing landscapes that function in the sustainable ways of natural ecosystems.The book provides a framework for thinking about and understanding ecological design, along with a wealth of real-world examples that bring to life Lyle's key ideas. Lyle traces the historical growth of design approaches involving natural processes, and presents an introduction to the principles, methods, and techniques that can be used to shape landscape, land use, and natural resources in an ecologically sensitive and sustainable manner. Lyle argues that careful design of human ecosystems recognizes three fundamental concerns: scale (the relative size of the landscape and its connections with larger and smaller systems), the design process itself, and the underlying order that binds ecosystems together and makes them work. He discusses the importance of each of these concerns, and presents a workable approach to designing systems that effectively accounts for all of them. The theory presented is supported throughout by numerous case studies that illustrate its practical applications.This new edition features a foreword by Joan Woodward, noted landscape architecture professor and colleague of Lyle, that places the book in the context of current ecological design thinking and discusses Lyle's contributions to the field. It will be a valuable resource for landscape architects, planners, students of ecological design, and anyone interested in creating landscapes that meet the needs of all an area's inhabitants-human and nonhuman alike.
Reviews 1
Choice Review
Lyle makes the point early in this book that it is not worthwhile to discuss the alternative of returning to unspoiled nature. He argues that our prime concern is with an environment for people and that there is no reason why the impact of human development on the environment cannot be benign. Lyle's purpose is to explicate ways in which the human impact can be in beneficial harmony with nature. A number of striking examples are given, including a study of possible urbanization of an arid valley, planning of suburban growth in the metropolitan Boston area, wind-power production in an area of extremely high land values, a flood way from a lake through an urban region, and restoration of a saltwater lagoon with concurrent oil pumping and urbanization. The discussions in this book too often degenerate into preaching and esoteric discussions. Graphic charts and evaluation matrices that may be easy to understand when done in color in a 4' x 5' size are simply illegible when reproduced in black and white for the 8 T'' x 11'' page. For all its faults, this is a very attractive book and one that belongs in libraries emphasizing environmental planning.-R.B. McKee Jr., University of Nevada, Reno
