December 2009 - Parks & Recreation - 16

Who, What, Where & how
-Around the Parks

Driving Trends in
Park Design and Development

n Nov. 5, 2009, the Sustainable Sites Initiative announced the release of the first
rating system for the creation and maintenance of sustainable landscapes, a system that will
likely have significant impact on the design and development of the nation's public parks and recreation
areas.
Outlined in the report, Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks 2009 along with a companion report, The Case for Sustainable Landscapes, the new
rating system provides metrics for rating sustainable
developed landscapes. If prerequisites are met, a

Landscapes have the potential to actually
give back; to provide a whole host of
ecosystem services such as clean air,
clean water, reduction in ozone, providing
carbon sequestration, and human health
improvement through recreation.
four-star rating system may award up to 250 points in
51 separate credit areas, such as site selection, soils,
vegetation, restoration of disturbed sites, recycling
of materials, and sustainable construction methods.
The rating system also requires a continuous cycle
of assessment and evaluation to encourage regular
updates to management practices.
Rich Dolesh, chief public policy officer of the National Recreation and Park Association has served as
a member of the Sustainable Sites Initiative's Steering
Committee since its inception in 2006. Dolesh notes
that the committee has assumed from the start that
public lands owners-especially parks and recreation agencies-will be prime candidates to use the
rating system.
" Many park planners and administrators have
told us that there is a lack of an equivalent system
for landscapes to the LEED rating system [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design], which
is the international standard for green building, and
thus there was no way to receive credit for exemplary practices. "
Dolesh continues, " The simple realities of shrinking budgets and general economic conditions dictate

14 Parks & Recreation D EDC EE CMEBME BR E 2R0 2009 0w9 w ww. NwRwP .AN. RO PRAG. O R G

that we have to reduce the cost of energy consumption and live more sustainably. And it is not merely
the principle of doing no harm, but rather the desire to look at how we can turn the effects of every
human change that we make into net benefits to the
environment. "
" The Sustainable Sites rating system represents
a recognition of value that landscapes play in terms
of achieving sustainability, " says Steve Windhager,
director of the Sustainable Sites Initiative, and director of landscape restoration at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas in
Austin.
" Landscapes have the potential to actually give
back; to provide a whole host of ecosystem services such as clean air, clean water, reduction in ozone,
providing carbon sequestration, and human health
improvement through recreation. There is potential
to make things better than they are - not just lessen
the damage, " Windhager says.
The Initiative created the rating system with much
input from parks and recreation professionals as well
as by studying numerous parks in the United States
as examples.
The Initiative has issued an open call for pilot projects until Feb.15, 2010, to test the new rating system.
Any type of designed landscape that is at least 2,000
square feet is eligible. The Initiative anticipates working with 75 to 100 projects during a two-year process.
Windhager of the Sustainable Sites Initiative believes that in 10 years the rating system will be not
only a nationally accepted, voluntary standard for
parks and open spaces, but that it will also be integrated into future versions of the LEED rating system. In the meantime, he urges park and recreation
agencies to recognize the rating system's potential.
" Parks and recreation agencies can be a much greater resource for their communities, going beyond just
providing recreation. Parks have the opportunity to
become a critical part of the green infrastructure for
cities, " said Windhager.
For more information and a FAQ about the Sustainable Sites Initiative pilot program, visit www.sustainablesites.org/pilot/.
-Amy Kapp

December 2009 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2009 - Parks & Recreation