Designing Greenways: Sustainable Landscapes for Nature and People, Second Edition - Softcover

Hellmund, Paul Cawood; Smith, Daniel

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1559633255 ISBN 13: 9781559633253

Publisher: Island Press, 2006

Synopsis

How are greenways designed? What situations lead

to their genesis, and what examples best illustrate

their potential for enhancing communities and the

environment? Designing greenways is a key to protecting

landscapes, allowing wildlife to move freely,

and finding appropriate ways to bring people into

nature. This book brings together examples from

ecology, conservation biology, aquatic ecology, and

recreation design to illustrate how greenways function

and add value to ecosystems and human communities

alike.

Encompassing everything from urban trail corridors to river floodplains

to wilderness-like linkages, greenways preserve or improve the

integrity of the landscape, not only by stemming the loss of natural

features, but also by engendering new natural and social functions.

From 19th-century parks and parkways to projects still on the drawing

boards, Designing Greenways is a fascinating introduction to the possibilities—

and pitfalls—involved in these ambitious projects. As towns

and cities look to greenways as a new way of reconciling man and

nature, designers and planners will look to Designing Greenways as an

invaluable compendium of best practices.

About this title

About the Author:

Landscape architect Paul Cawood Hellmund is Director of the Conway School of Landscape Design in western Massachusetts. His writing, teaching, and design work focus on greenways, ecological networks, protected areas, and related projects that seek a balance the needs of people with the functions of nature. He lives with his wife and two sons in the village of Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts.

Daniel Somers Smith teaches in the Environmental Studies department of Antioch University, New England in Keene, NH. He is interested in the history, ideas, and practice of nature conservation and environmentalism, and especially how critical analysis of this and other social movements can lead to more inclusive and far-sighted modes of action. He is also the author of Hidden Ecologies: The Paradox of Consumptive Environmentalism, which examines the intertwined histories of wildlands conservation and tourism in the New England and New York.

Review:

"the reader will appreciate the need for well-designed green corridors that improve the quality of life."
(Chicago Botanic Garden Lenhardt Library's Current Books)

"Designing Greenways presents a practical, applied approach to greenway design within a context of sound science...Greenways are shown to be an excellent vehicle for environmental education and environmental art...Designing Greenways is a well-written scientific and social survey that describes how greenways can be a part of sustainable landscapes."
(Natural Areas Journal)

"The ample use of figures and photographs to support the text makes the book eminently readeable. Tables provide fingertip summaries of data. ...the early chapters...provide clear and complete synopses of the history of greenways and the benefits of preserving swaths and stringers of the landscape for ecological and social benefits. This is the sort of book that will become, over the years, a dog-eared favorite in many land use planners' personal or professional libraries."
(Landscape Ecology)

"Designing Greenways remains valid as a great contribution and provides a practical guide for planners, landscape architects, educators, students, citizen groups and conservationists to move from theory to action." (Nature of Cities)

About this edition

• Publisher: Island Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1559633255
• ISBN 13: 9781559633253
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 288